For the Love of Three
by KinkyLily
Summary: None could inspire the kind of passion in her they did. All it took was a look, a touch, a word, and she practically crumbled at their feet. To go from constant fighting to this near inability to stay away from them, Lily soon finds herself at the mercy of the three most devilishly handsome gents in her year. And to think, it all started with a stray curse. Pairing: J/L/S/R
1. Prologue and Chapter 1: A Missing Evans

**A/N: This is, hopefully, the only Author's Note I will be writing in this fic. I had hoped to avoid putting any notes in, but apparently I over-estimated the maturity and overall ability to read (as I clearly stated the pairing in the summary) in some of the readers on this site. So, sadly, this note is to inform everyone that THIS IS A JAMES/LILY/SIRIUS/REMUS FIC. That means, it is a FOURSOME FIC. Lily will have sex in this story with James, Sirius, and Remus. As of right now, the guys will NOT be having sex with each other. If anyone has a problem with this, feel free to report me or just click the little X at the top of your screen. **

**For those of you who decide to stay, welcome. I hope you enjoy this story, even if it does bring you a little bit outside of your comfort zone. Thank you for taking a chance on me and breaking away from the cookie-cutter stories that plague this site day in and day out. Hopefully I won't disappoint you.**

**Now, on to the story!**

* * *

**Prologue**

Everyone from the Headmaster to the caretaker knew James Potter fancied himself in love with Lily Evans. It had been obvious from their very first meeting that the two were destined for a passionate relationship and, for the most part, they had managed to fulfill that destiny. Hardly a day went by for their first five years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where the two students weren't screaming at each other.

Lily, always a loyal friend and brave supporter of the down-trodden, despised the way James thought himself better than everyone else and his constant disregard for the rules. James, fiercely protective of those he loved and undeniable ability to find the good in everyone, found it infuriating that Lily was unable to look past the surface to actually see him.

While the relationship between Lily and James was very public, leaving little doubt as to the twos feelings for each other, Lily had an equally passionate relationship with the other Marauders. She and Sirius could butt heads over something as simple as the proper way to butter their morning toast or the proper way to hold their wands to something as complicated as the threat of war knocking right outside their door. Remus, while admittedly the easiest Marauder to handle, still rubbed Lily the wrong way with his inability to speak the truth and his constant disappearances that left Lily practically itching to know what was going on with him. Then there was Peter, perhaps the least passionate of Lily's relationships but still more passionate than most would assume, who couldn't seem to escape the other's shadows and so overcompensated by often times going over the top in everything he did for the Marauders.

Yes, none could get Lily's blood boiling faster than the four boys who seemed to haunt her thoughts, waking or sleeping, every hour of the day.

And so, it was with some dread that Lily listened as the Mediwitch explained just what would happen the next time she saw the four due to a spell gone awry.

It had been an ordinary day, the summer sun high in the sky as Lily walked down the street of Diagon Alley. She had been passing Knockturn Alley on her way to Ollivander's to have her wand tuned for the coming year when a flash of red had knocked her off her feet. She hadn't had time to register the attack before a nearby wizard had whisked her away to St. Mungo's.

Now, after what had felt like hundreds of tests, the sweet Mediwitch who had been by her side throughout the whole ordeal was informing her that the spell was not one that could be removed by any other than the caster. What was worse, the spell created a… physical need… inside her, one that could only be contained through… physical means.

Lily Evans was by far no prude, but the thought of being practically forced into sexual relations with anyone who inspired a passionate response in her was just… unthinkable.

Because, as she knew, none could inspire a greater passion inside of her than the Marauders.

* * *

**Chapter One**

As always on the first of September, Platform 9 ¾ was bustling with excitement as students said goodbye to parents and greeted old friends amidst the hoot of howls, the yowl of cats, and the croaking of toads. First years shivered nervously as they searched for a friendly face amongst the mass of older students. Parents called out reminders to students already on the train and soothed younger siblings who weren't quite old enough yet to make this yearly trip to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

In one compartment, in a car towards the middle of the Hogwarts Express, three friend gathered together, swapping stories of their summer break. Near the window sat James Potter, a tall black haired boy with glasses. Incredibly handsome, James had a charm that worked on all women, no matter their age. With hair that stuck up in every direction, he had the perpetual look of someone who had just hopped off his broomstick moments ago after an invigorating round of Quidditch.

His best mate and travel companion, Sirius Black, sat opposite him. Shoulder length black hair fell easily into his eyes, giving him a devastatingly gorgeous appeal that most girls couldn't stay away from. Just an inch or two taller than James, he lounged casually against his seat, watching people pass by and waiting for the train to pull away from the station.

The third occupant of the compartment was shorter than the other two and a bit rounder. Peter Pettigrew would not be considered handsome by anyone's standard, but he had an easy nature about him. Pale blond with beady eyes, he was the runt of their little group, but no less admired by the rest of their school.

They were missing the fourth component of their group, affectionately termed the Marauders after their numerous pranks around the school. Remus Lupin was a boy of average height and build, though often appeared gaunt and tired. His sandy colored hair was cut relatively close to his head, but was often in a casual state of disarray, likely from his fingers constantly running through it.

"How long you reckon Remus'll be at the Prefect meeting?" Sirius drawled lazily.

"Hour or so. You know who the Head Boy and Girl are?" James asked, searching the crowd below for a flash of red.

"Heard Bones nabbed Head Boy and Meadows Head Girl."

"Ah, excellent. Dorcas won't be too quick to hand out detentions, but Edgar might need a bit of a distraction. We might have to see about finding him a girl."

"Shouldn't be too hard. The bloke can be a right git at times, but he's not been too unfortunate when it comes to the birds," Sirius smirked.

"Maybe Fenwick would be willing to give him a shot," Peter suggested, referring to a Gryffindor girl in their year.

"Yeah, Susan's got a nice set on her, not to mention she could use some help removing that stick up her arse. I'm sure if we get her and Eddie together he won't have any problem shoving something else up there," Sirius grinned, nodding towards Peter.

Practically beaming under the praise, Peter eagerly sat forward as the train began to move. In a matter of seconds, they'd left King's Cross behind and were powering through London.

"So, what are we going to do for our Welcome Back Prank?" Peter asked eagerly.

And with that, the Marauders were off, discussing various hexes and spells that could be used in their annual first day back prank.

An hour later when Remus joined them, they had brought up and discarded over a dozen ideas.

"Moony. Thank Merlin. What do you think about turning Slytherin's robes pink?" Sirius asked.

"I think we did that in third year," Remus reminded him, flopping into his seat across from Peter.

"Right. Forgot about that," Sirius mumbled, going back to his thoughts.

"Well?" James asked, giving Remus a pointed look.

"She wasn't there," Remus said wearily.

"What do you mean she wasn't there? She's a prefect. She never misses meetings, not for anything," James insisted.

"I know, but she wasn't there, mate. Alice Prewett was there instead," Remus told him.

"But she's on the train right? You don't think she wouldn't come back because of Voldemort, do you?" James asked, worry plain on his face.

"I don't know, Prongs. All I know is that Alice was at the meeting instead of Lily. She had the Gryffindor Prefect badge and everything. I didn't get a chance to talk to her after the meeting because she ran out so fast."

"I need to go find her. I have to talk to her. She'll know where Lily is," James said, moving towards the compartment door.

"Prongs. Don't. Evans is probably fine and we'll see her at the feast tonight," Sirius assured him.

"You really don't want to start the year off by hounding the girl about her whereabouts, do you, James?" Remus asked pointedly.

"No. No, I suppose not," James murmured, falling back into his seat.

"Don't worry, Prongs. I'm sure she's fine," Peter said.

"Yeah. You're right, Wormtail. Now, where were we?"

* * *

The rest of the train ride to Hogwarts was spent planning out their prank and, with Remus now present, it went much smoother than it had for the first hour. Despite James' attention to his three mates, he couldn't help but worry about a certain redheaded witch.

"I don't see her," James muttered, craning his neck and searching for a spot of red amongst the Gryffindor table.

"Relax, Prongs. She's here," Sirius said, though he looked a little doubtful as he too scanned the table.

"What if she's not? What if she decided not to come back? What if she was in one of those Death Eater attacks on Muggle shopping centers and amusement parks? What if-"

"James. Stop. Lily is fine. I doubt Alice would have been so calm and collected at the prefect meeting if something had happened to her best friend," Remus said reasonably.

"Yeah, mate. Prewett looks plenty happy," Sirius agreed, indicating the lovely blond witch a few seats down.

True enough, Alice was chatting happily with her other two roommates, Susan Fenwick and Claire Dearborn. Not a one of them looked as those something horrid had happened to one of their friends over summer break.

Still, James couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"Alice! Hey, Alice!" James called, trying to get the girl's attention.

Blue eyes snapped towards his and a single eyebrow raised in question.

"Where's Lily?" James asked, struggling not to show just how concerned he was.

"I suspect she's discussing this semester with Professor McGonagall," Alice said before turning back to her friends.

"What does she need to meet with McGonagall for?" James asked.

When Alice didn't answer, James fought the urge to go over and shake her until she started talking.

"Alice!" James hissed.

"Blimey, Potter. Give it a rest. Lily's fine and I have no doubt you'll see her soon enough," Susan snapped, glaring his way.

He fought not to snap back, but it was difficult. Susan had been a pain ever since her brother had graduated and joined the fight against Voldemort. Susan had idolized her older brother and not knowing where he was, whether he was alive or dead, had caused her to become a right bitch at times.

It also probably didn't help that in fourth year, he and Susan had occasionally met up for some broom closet fun. That had ended real fast after she started pressing for more. No matter how many girls James fucked in broom cupboards, empty classrooms, or in the Astronomy Tower, the title of "girlfriend" would only go to one girl.

If only she would look at him with something other than outrage or disgust.

But he was determined. This year would be the year he convinced Lily Evans to give him a chance.

If only he could find her.


	2. Chapter 2: The Curse

**Chapter Two**

Lily walked through the portrait hole into the Gryffindor Common Room with a relieved sigh. She'd managed to make it through the halls without a single incident.

Learning to live with the curse was difficult, to say the least. Just before she'd boarded the train, Lily had become overwhelmed with emotion at having to leave her parents and had very nearly attacked them in the middle of King's Cross. If it wasn't for the potion she'd been prescribed, she very well might have attempted to do… inappropriate things to her parents. As it was, she'd barely restrained herself from jumping Alice as soon as the girl entered the compartment where Lily was to spend her ride.

She was embarrassed to say that Alice had simply taken it all in stride when Lily's hug had been more suggestive than friendly.

After the day she'd had, she wanted nothing more than to curl up in her bed and sleep for the next twenty-four hours, but as soon as she entered the Common Room, she was swung up into a hug and spun around.

"Lily, thank Merlin! Where have you been? Do you have any idea how worried I-we've been?"

"Give the girl a chance to breathe, James."

Lily avoided eye contact as James placed her back on her feet. Maybe if she could just ignore them, she would be able to make it to her room without embarrassing herself further.

"Lily? What's going on? Why weren't you at the feast?" James asked, his hand warm on her arm.

His concern was doing weird things to her and she silently cursed the spell for making her want to lean into James' touch. She supposed it was better than getting into a screaming match with him, because as flustered and worked up as she usually got when she was around him, she wouldn't last five minutes with the way the spell worked.

"I have to go," Lily mumbled, trying to make a break for the stairs.

"Hold up there, Evans," Sirius said, blocking her way so she ran into his chest.

She had to curl her fingers into fists to keep from stroking across the broad, sculpted muscles.

"We just want to make sure you're okay," Remus said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

She practically sobbed as desire sparked through her, everything within her wanting to just strip naked and have the three of them take her in any way they wanted.

"Lily?"

At Alice's voice, Lily let loose a muffled whimper. She couldn't do this. It was too much. She was going to give in if they didn't stop touching her immediately.

"Get away from her!" Alice shouted, shoving Sirius and Remus as far from where Lily stood as she could.

"Alice, what the hell's the matter with you?" Sirius snapped.

"Don't touch her!" Alice insisted, moving to place herself between Lily and the Marauders.

It didn't help. The fire had been started. There was nothing left to do but let it burn.

"Alice," Lily croaked, sounding nothing like herself.

"Just breathe, Lily. Do you need another potion?" Alice asked, taking a confident stance in front of her.

"Need… them," Lily gasped, her entire body shaking.

"No. No, you don't, Lily. You can fight this," Alice said, determined.

"Can't. Want it so bad," Lily moaned, her hands running over her breasts, down her stomach, and across her hips.

"Oh, Merlin," Alice muttered, backing further away from where Lily stood.

"What's going on? What's wrong? Lily?" James asked, trying to move closer.

She wanted it. She wanted it so bad and he was there, offering it to her. She could take it easily and he wouldn't even try to stop her because she knew he wanted it too.

"Peter, go get Professor McGonagall. Tell her it's Lily," Alice instructed, shoving the smallest Marauder towards the portrait hole.

It was the wrong move. As soon as Alice twisted to the side, Lily launched herself at the remaining three boys. She didn't know which one she grabbed first and she honestly didn't care. All she knew was that there was a fire inside of her and they were the only ones who could put it out.

Hands grabbed at robes and hair as she pressed her lips to the closest one. Her teeth bit at a plump bottom lip and her hips twisted against his, moaning in sweet agony. More hands joined the fray, grabbing her hips, her waist, pulling and pushing her, but she didn't care. She was caught up in the flames of desire, her passion building like a tidal wave.

Pulling on the robes in her left hand, she nibbled her way down a corded neck, licking at the salt of his skin and practically purring in delight. The one in front of her attempted to pull away, but with a swift tug, she had him right back where she wanted him. The one she was currently tasting trembled and she felt a hand fist in her hair.

_Yesss._

Another body came up on her right and Lily turned blindly, attacking him with the same gusto as the other two. Her right arm wrapped around his neck as she hungrily feasted on his lips. Soft and sweet, slightly chapped, they were delicious as she licked at the seam to separate them. Desire ruled her and as she grinded against the one in front, she fondled the one to her left, glorifying in the feel of masculine hardness all around her.

It was all so delicious.

Until a set of hands – wrong hands – pulled at her from behind. She snarled, a feral sound, and tried to get back to the strong, wonderful hands that had just begun stroking her, petting her, pleasuring her.

"Lily, snap out of it!"

She didn't want to snap out of it. She wanted more. She needed more.

"Open your mouth, Lily!"

No. She didn't like this voice, she didn't like these hands. She wanted warm, masculinity surrounding her.

"Open your mouth, Lily."

Oh, yes. She liked this voice. Obediently, she opened her mouth, prepared for silken skin to slide across her tongue. Instead, she got cool glass and a potion poured down her throat. She gagged and choked, trying to dispel the unwanted object, but the wrong hands were firm as they held her down, forcing her to swallow the potion or drown in it.

The potion was like being dunked in an ice bath and, while it dowsed the flames, the embers still glowed brightly, just waiting for another chance to burn.

Lily opened to eyes to find five concerned faces staring down at her.

"What happened?" Lily asked, feeling lethargic and heavy.

"You had an episode," Alice said meaningfully.

Lily groaned, letting her head fall into her hands as she remembered through the haze of lust attacking the Marauders. Well, three of them, anyway.

"I'm sorry," Lily mumbled into her hands.

"Hey, Evans. Don't be sorry. You're not the first bird to lose her head over this smoking body," Sirius teased.

She glanced up at him and managed a small smile, but the potion had affected her more so than usual and she found herself letting her head drop back down.

"What was that, Lily?" James asked, sitting across from her, but careful not to touch her.

"Alice," Lily sighed, hoping her friend would understand.

Sure enough, her small friend jumped right into an explanation.

"Lily was hit with a curse over summer and it causes her to have physical reactions whenever her emotions ramp up. It's why she was separated from everyone else on the train. If she gets too excited, it… well, it causes what just happened."

There was silence for about half a minute while the three remaining Marauders processed this news. Remus was the first to break the silence.

"How long will the spell last?"

"Until the caster can be found and remove it," Alice said reluctantly.

"So... she could be like this for years," Sirius mumbled.

"Yes. It's why she's had to give up being a Prefect. It's too stressful and if she were to have an episode, well… Slughorn has managed to create a potion to help, but, as you saw, it's more a reactionary solution than a preemptive one," Alice explained.

The couch dipped beside her and, wary, she leaned away from the body heat.

"Lily?"

She opened her eyes and looked up at the boy who had claimed to love her for the past five years. Worried hazel eyes peered at her through rounded spectacles and Lily felt the embers flare dangerously. She had to close her eyes against the sensation.

"Lily, please. Tell me what I can do to help," James pleaded and Lily could hear the desperation in his voice.

It was so strange. A year ago, she never would have imagined having this conversation with James Potter, or any of the other Marauders for that matter. Granted, this wasn't exactly a conversation, but still. James was being down right sweet and it unnerved Lily. She needed normal.

But normal for her and James was screaming matches and angry glares. If they were to slip back into that now… Merlin, she'd be jumping him at every turn.

"Lily," James pressed.

"There's nothing you can do. I have to learn to live with this," Lily mumbled to the floor, unwilling to chance looking at any of her friends for fear of the repercussions.

"You can't just hide from this. Let us help you," James said, sounding so worried and hurt.

"I'm sorry, but the only way to help is… well, you know, and I'm just not willing to try that with you. I don't even really like you," Lily sighed.

"That's because you never give me a chance. You'd like me if you got to know me," James insisted.

"I can't risk it now. If Alice hadn't been here tonight, I wouldn't have stopped. Would you?" Lily asked, steeling herself enough to meet his gaze.

James stared at her for a long time, as if deciding the best way to answer her.

"I don't know. It was so strange. I've never seen you act like that. At first, I was just so thrilled to be touching you, but I think… I think I would have stopped you before we got too far," James decided.

"I had my hand down your best friend's pants, James, and was practically dry humping the other," Lily pointed out, trying to get him to see the harsh reality of it.

Because this was her life, now. She would never be able to go back to who she was. She was going to constantly crave sex, but she could at least have some dignity about it. She was going to try to restrain herself enough that she didn't jump the first guy to come along, but she was also honest enough with herself to realize it was a good possibility.

A rough cough reminded them that they weren't the only two people in the room. Lily looked up to find Remus looking more than a little uncomfortable and Sirius looking like the cat who ate the canary.

"I think it's pretty obvious what we have to do here, mates," Sirius said.

"Oh, Merlin. Don't tell us," Remus groaned.

"No, really. It's a good plan and it'll satisfy everyone involved," Sirius insisted.

"I already know what you're going to suggest and I'm telling you right now, it'll never work. Besides, could you really do that to Lily? Everyone would turn against her," Remus said.

"They're going to turn against her anyway when they find out what's going on. At least this way she won't be alone with it all," Sirius argued.

"Hey. Best friend here. Do you really think I'd leave her alone to deal with this?" Alice snapped, jumping back into the conversation.

"Of course not, Prewett, but then you can't really give her what she needs, either," Sirius scoffed, waving her off.

"Padfoot," James drawled in warning.

"Look, Prongs, the potion obviously isn't working. I mean, look at her. She already looks like she's ready to eat us all alive," Sirius pointed out.

Sure enough, Lily could seem to tear her eyes away from the sliver of Remus' collarbone beneath his button down shirt. She could just imagine licking that expanse of skin over and over, tasting the salty perfection in the dip between bone and neck.

"Lily," Alice snapped and it took all of her concentration to focus on her friend instead of the boys in the room.

"It won't work," Remus repeated, shaking his head.

"It will. Who better to do it than us?" Sirius insisted.

"Pad, you know I love you guys but… I don't know if I could share her," James said, shifting uncomfortably.

"If it meant you got a chance with her, if it meant she didn't have to leave Hogwarts, if it meant she didn't have to stay in a weird catatonic state from potion after potion? I think you can, Prongs," Sirius said, sounding incredibly sure of himself.

"You're honestly suggesting sharing my best friend as some sort of… what? Sex slave?" Alice asked, narrowing her eyes dangerously.

"Look, Prewett, it's not ideal, but it'll help Lily. Besides, she'd be using us, not the other way around," Sirius defended himself.

"But you're taking advantage of her. She would never agree to this if it wasn't for the spell," Alice argued, taking a dangerous step towards him.

"Accept the fact that perfect Lily Evans is dead. Until this spell gets removed, she's going to be focused on sex twenty-four seven. It would take the three of us to keep her anywhere close to satisfied," Sirius said.

Finally, the conversation going on around her penetrated the cloud in Lily's mind and she snapped to attention.

She expected Sirius to look downright delighted at the thought of getting to have unrestricted sex with a willing female who would never say no, but he looked almost somber as he watched her. He truly thought this was the best solution for all of them.

"You're serious," Lily gaped.

"Of course I am. Look, Lily, we may not always get along, but all of us care about you. It's no secret that Prongs has been in love with you since day one. Remus and you get along and I like you well enough. We wouldn't hurt you, we wouldn't take advantage of you. It'd all be on your terms, Lily, but I'd rather you come to one of us than go sex up some random git in the hallway when you have one of these episodes," Sirius said.

Unbidden, unwanted, tears sprung to her eyes and she felt a relief like she'd never know spread through her limbs. It wasn't the most ideal of situations, but it was better than taking potions for the rest of her life. And maybe, one day, the person who casted the spell could be found and the curse would be removed.

Sirius was right. She liked the Marauders well enough and it certainly wouldn't be a hardship to be with them in that way. It's not like she'd fall in love with any of them. This whole situation was based on mutual caring. The Marauders were worried about her and this was the best way they could think of to take care of her while still giving her some say in her life.

"What do you say, Evans?" Sirius asked, holding out a hand for her.

She stared at that hand for a long time debating all the pros and cons. She looked at James, who looked as though he was torn between wanting her to accept and wanting her to run away screaming. She looked at Remus, who was trying so hard to remain stoic, but she could see an almost wistful look in his eyes. Finally, she looked at Alice, her best friend, who was watching her with an unreadable expression.

"I'm with you, Lily. Whatever you choose," Alice promised her.

And that was all the encouragement she needed. Without a second thought, she slipped her hand into Sirius', sealing her fate as the Marauders' girl.


	3. Chapter 3: Their First Time

**Chapter Three**

When Lily woke up the following morning, she was almost positive that she'd dreamed the entire encounter. All it took was a look from Alice to confirm that she had actually agreed to Sirius suggestion that she use himself, James, and Remus for sex. She had to admit, the idea of having even one of them at her disposal was knee buckling. Having all three of them? Positively scrumptious.

"Alright, Lily?" Alice asked as Lily slid past into the bathroom.

"Yeah. Thanks for last night, Alice," Lily mumbled.

"Anytime. You know I'm here for you," Alice assured her with a warm smile.

"Hurry up in the shower, Lily!" Susan shouted as Lily shut the door.

As she scrubbed her body clean, Lily couldn't help but drift back to the night before, the way it had felt in the middle of Sirius, James, and Remus, their hands all over her body and her hands all over theirs. Her hand slowed as it passed over her breast and she moaned as the feeling of her fingers on her puckered nipple. God, she'd only been in the shower five minutes and she was already panting with need.

"Lily. Potion."

A slim hand stuck into the shower and Lily grabbed the offending bottle almost eagerly. Anything to stop the feeling in the pit of her stomach. She swallowed the contents in a single gulp and was able to get through the rest of her shower without any further incidents.

"Thanks, Alice," Lily said as she exited the bathroom.

"You don't have to keep thanking me, Lily. It's what best friends are for," Alice said, hugging Lily close.

She was proud of herself when she didn't start rubbing against the smaller girl.

"Come on and get dressed. When I'm done, we'll walk down to breakfast together," Alice offered.

Lily nodded, grateful that she wouldn't have to face the stares alone. As she slipped on her school uniform, she saw that her third roommate Claire was watching her from her bed. Claire was the quiet one out of the three of them and, as such, often faded into the background. Just as Alice and Lily were best friends, Claire and Susan were practically sisters. No one was quicker to Claire's defense than Susan, but looking at Claire now, Lily felt the need to hide. It was obvious she was aware of Lily's curse, but Lily wasn't sure if Claire was going to be one of the people to support her or shun her.

Before either girl could say anything, Susan came breezing out of the bathroom and swooped an arm through Claire's.

"See you at breakfast," Susan called over her shoulder as the two left the room.

Alice stepped out of the bathroom just a few minutes later, watching Lily through careful eyes.

"You okay?"

Lily nodded, unwilling to give voice to her concerns that their two roommates would no longer wish to be friends with them once it became obvious just what Lily's curse entailed.

"Don't worry, Lily. Susan has been in a mood ever since Benjy went off to fight the war. It's nothing against you," Alice assured her.

"You're right. I just… I wish people wouldn't think the worst of me," Lily sighed as the two made their way down to the Common Room.

"We can't control what they say, but you know you've always got me. And, from the looks of it, I'd say you have the Marauders as well," Alice chuckled.

Sure enough, as the two entered the Common Room, it was the find all four of the Marauders waiting for them. As soon as they spotted Lily and Alice, the four moved from their place near the fire.

"Morning, Lily. Prewett," Sirius greeted them with a bright smile.

"Good morning, Black. Sleep well, I trust," Alice said with a small grin.

"Tossed and turned all night, actually. I blame our Lily for that," Sirius said, wrapping a careful arm around Lily's shoulders.

Thanks to the potion, she was able to continue walking beside him despite the fire licking at her veins.

"Worried about me, were you?" Lily asked, only slightly teasing.

"Of course, love. Always."

Despite his teasing tone, Lily heard the undercurrent of seriousness and found herself grateful that she had someone like Sirius who cared.

"Don't listen to him, Lily. He was more concerned with whether or not you'd renegade on the agreement than anything," Remus insisted with a wink her way.

"I don't think I could," Lily admitted softly.

"No worries, Evans. Like I said, anytime you need us," Sirius reminded her.

Lily had thought it would be a little awkward being around them after agreeing to have sex whenever her desires got out of control, but with the way Sirius acted, it was hard to feel any reservation. He was so light and carefree and, with Remus' steady smile, it went a long way in assuaging her nerves.

She glanced over at James who was suspiciously quiet and found him watching her intently. Offering him a small smile, she wondered if it was too much to expect him to be okay with the current situation. After all, like they'd said the night before, he'd fancied himself in love with her for years. How could he be okay with the idea of two of his best mates shagging her?

But when he gave her his signature grin in return to her hesitant smile, she knew, somehow, he was perfectly okay with the arrangement. She thought maybe Remus or Sirius had talked to him the night before, said something to convince him of Sirius' idea, but she couldn't be sure. Whatever had happened, he obviously had no qualms at the moment as he stepped forward to squeeze her hand in reassurance.

"You ready for this? There's no going back after," James warned.

"I know, but it's the only thing that might possibly even work. I don't want to take potions for the rest of my life," Lily said, knowing she had to do this.

"Alright. We'll protect you as best we can. It helps that we already have such a solid reputation in place. No one will dare mess with us and once it's obvious you're under our protection, they'll leave you alone as well," James assured her.

"I'm ready," Lily said, nodding for their small group to go ahead.

And so, with one arm wrapped around James' and one hand slipped into the back pocket of Sirius' trousers, the group of six Gryffindors entered the Great Hall, heads held high.

* * *

Lily managed to make it through the first part of the day relatively unscathed, so the speak. While almost every student was talking about her entrance with Alice and the Marauders at breakfast, she was able to tune most of it out. This was in large part due to the fact that one of the Marauders was always with her and Alice. Between her best friend and her new friends, she paid little attention to the gossipmongers of the castle.

It also helped that she was paying so much attention in class. While focused on lectures, she was able to empty her mind and, thus, reach a state of emotional equilibrium. With the help of the potions Alice kept reminding her to take, Lily was surprisingly calm as she entered lunch and prepared for the last class of the day.

Thankfully, it was Advanced Potions and Lily knew how aware Professor Slughorn was of her… condition. He made class as easy as possible for her, once again showing his favoritism towards her. The first potion they were to begin preparing was Amortentia. Professor Slughorn had a cauldron of it brewing on his desk, filling the room with its divine smell. He had the students gather around to observe the color and texture of the potion before beginning his lecture.

As soon as Professor Slughorn revealed the potion, Lily was lost. She tried vainly to keep a handle of her desires, but as the potion continued to brew and the scent invaded her senses, she found herself staring at the boy in front of her. She didn't know who he was, what his name was, or even which house he was in, but she wanted him.

Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she knew this was wrong, that is was the curse affecting her again, but she couldn't seem to stop the thoughts from invading her head. Her knuckles were white as they gripped the desk in front of her and by the time Slughorn released them for the day, she was trembling on her stool.

"Lily, come with me, now," Alice insisted, taking a firm grasp of her wrist and practically dragging her from the room.

It was the first class they hadn't had with one of the Marauders and so Alice had a bit of a struggle getting Lily out of the classroom.

"Come on. Let's go find one of the guys," Alice encouraged, pulling her along.

Her shaking had gotten so bad, she could barely walk and after only a few steps, Alice gave up and simply shoved her into an empty classroom. Pulling out her wand, she sent a scrap of paper flying out the door before slamming it shut.

Lily took in the middle of the room, hands fisted in her hair as she fought against the fire burning her alive from the inside out.

"Just breathe, Lily. Do you have another potion?" Alice asked, trying to take her mind off the images in her head.

She shook her head strongly once, her body beginning to writhe in pleasurable agony as she inched her way to the floor.

"Need… need… need," Lily stammered, unable to say what she needed.

"They're coming. Just breathe," Alice said, remaining calm in the face of Lily's meltdown.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, there was a knock on the door. Alice moved aside and Sirius, Remus, and James stepped in. One look at Lily, sprawled out in the middle of the floor, and Sirius practically pushed Alice out of the room.

"We'll take care of her," Sirius promised before shutting the door firmly.

"How should we do this?" Remus asked, eyeing Lily warily.

She didn't notice, too caught up in the way each of their shirts clung to firm chests. She wanted to rip the fabric from their bodies and feel their skin sliding against her own. Shaking uncontrollably at the thought, Lily practically began tearing her uniform off.

"Easy, Lily. I'll do that," James said, replacing her hands with his.

She whimpered as he undressed her, moving far too slow for her liking. Frantic fingers began pulling at his shirt and in a matter of seconds, she had the offending article off his body and on the floor.

"I think we just let her do what she wants. The way she's acting… it may take all of us," Sirius murmured.

"Yes," Lily purred, rubbing her bare chest against James, loving the sparse hair that tickled her nipples.

"Merlin, Lily," James groaned as she rubbed her pelvis against his.

She could feel how much he wanted her, his erection firm against her lower stomach, and she nearly wept with desire for it. Impatiently, she tore at his belt and trousers, shoving them down his legs along with his boxers. Eager hands wrapped around his impressive length and she stroked as she waited for him to finish undressing her.

"Shit," James hissed, his fingers digging into the flesh of her ass.

"James," Lily whimpered, squeezing him in a silent plea.

Seconds later, her panties fluttered to the floor and her butt was placed on a cold desk. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer as his lips crashed against hers. Grasping at his thick cock, Lily placed him right where she wanted him, her legs flexing to pull him in. With a muffled groan, he thrust inside her, making her cry out against his lips at the swift invasion.

It wasn't Lily's first time, but she could count on one hand the number of times she'd had sex. The feeling of James filling her finally eased some of the fire that seemed to always simmer beneath the surface. With a twist of her hip, she took him deeper and they both moaned at the sensation.

"Hold on," James said between gritted teeth.

Her fingers wrapped around the edge of the desk as James set a punishing pace. The sound of skin slapping against skin filled the classroom and Lily threw her head back in complete and utter rapture as he took her hard and fast. She could feel her climax building, quicker than ever before thanks to the curse flowing through her veins. In a matter of minutes, she was screaming his name as stars burst before her eyes.

Hearing the girl he'd loved for over five years calling out his name as she reached her climax was too much for James and he came with her, filling her with his cum as he continued to thrust through both their orgasms.

"Oh, Merlin, that was amazing," James panted into her neck.

Unable to speak just yet, Lily could only nod, a silly grin on her face. It vanished, however, as soon as he slid out of her. Despite the incredible orgasm she'd just had, the fire was still raging and she knew she needed more.

Turning her head, she spotted Sirius, pants unbuttoned and cock in hand, the tip glistening with pre-cum. Darting out her tongue to wet her lips, she crooked a finger at him, inviting him to come closer.

Faster than she could blink, he was over top of her, his lips possessing hers in an almost brutal fashion. She fought back, giving just as good as she got. Their bodies thrust against one another, each seeking to ease the quickly building friction.

"Say yes, Evans. Fuck Merlin, say yes," Sirius begged, lining his swollen dick up at her entrance.

"Yes, yes, yes," Lily gasped.

She only got out the first yes before he plowed into her, sliding the desk back with the force of his thrust. She screamed as he dominated her, his arms hooking underneath her knees, allowing him to go deeper with each thrust. His long hair fell over his shoulders as he threw his head back, his teeth gritted in an effort to hold back his orgasm for her.

He didn't have to wait long. The fire was at an all-time high as he fucked her over and over, harder and harder with each thrust until she cried out in utter rapture. Everything within her seemed to tense in preparation for this climax and as it washed over her she felt heavy and languid.

"Fuck, Lily," Sirius groaned as his own climax took over, his seed spilling deep inside her.

He pulled out before the aftershocks had completely stopped, making her shiver as more rippled through her. She watched as he began dressing again and noticed James sitting in a nearby desk, watching her.

It took a little bit of maneuvering of her head, but she eventually spotted Remus, standing by the door, eyes glued to the place between her legs that was dripping with both of his best mate's cum. Wordlessly, she watched him as her fingers drifted down her body to slip underneath her skirt. Lifting her feet to perch on the edge of the desk, she spread her legs wide, giving him a perfect view of what she was doing.

She wasn't sure, but she thought she heard him growl as her fingers slipped inside her tight channel. As she performed for him, she felt the fire building once more and soon she wasn't doing it just for him, but for herself as well. Her fingers slipped around her clit, circling the bud faster and faster building towards her third climax of the day.

Just as she was about to feel that wave crash over the fire once more, firm hands gripped her hips and flipped her over. Before she could even think to question what was happening, another cock was shoved up her cunt. Groaning was all she was capable of at this point as she arched her back to take him in further.

"Merlin, but you're still tight," Remus groaned, his hold bruising on her hips as he fucked her against the desk.

She moaned in response, gripping the desk in front of her with a white knuckled grasp. She was practically on her tip-toes as she worked to meet him thrust for thrust. With every forward motion, his balls jerked forward to slap at her clit, making her cry out with each hit.

A hand in her hair pulled her head back and she managed to open her eyes to find James and Sirius in front of her, both with swollen cocks in hand. It was too much and she felt herself reaching that pinnacle from which there was no return. When Remus jerked her hair just the slightest bit, her entire body flew apart and she sobbed as the most powerful orgasm yet crashed over her.

Finally sated, she slumped onto the desk, her arms no longer able to hold her up. With a muffled groan from behind, she felt Remus erupt inside her, adding yet more cum into her already flooded pussy. Moments later, she heard James and Sirius groan as they came for the second time each.

She laid there on the desk, completely content as the three boys began rearranging their clothing. Gentle, but firm hands began righting her clothing for her and she sighed happily when no fire raged under their touch. She could still feel the lingering embers, but she could handle those so long as they maintained that low burn.

Feeling more normal than she had since the attack, Lily allowed her eyes to slide shut. She drifted off to sleep to the sound of low male voices and the gentle rocking of being carried by one of her three men.


	4. Chapter 4: Getting the Word Out

**Chapter Four**

When Lily opened her eyes, it was to find herself sprawled out on a bed she'd never been in before with Alice sitting across from her on another bed. The red draping assured her she was in the Gryffindor tower and from the pile of messy clothing surrounding three out of the four beds, she could only assume she was in the Marauder's room.

"What time is it?" Lily slurred, pushing herself up on her arms.

"A little before dinner. You've only been out for about three hours," Alice told her.

"Mmm. Whose bed is this?" Lily asked, but immediately after the words left her mouth, she recognized the smell clinging to the pillow.

"James'," they said at the same time.

"They're downstairs playing Exploding Snap with Peter. I'm surprised at how civil they're being about the whole thing. I expected a little bit of fighting after they brought you out of that classroom, but they all just acted as though they'd been doing this for years," Alice said.

"Hmm," Lily hummed, burrowing back into the pillow.

"It was weird, Lily. It was like… they all _knew_ what the other was thinking. Remus is the one who carried you up here, so you would think he'd put you in his bed, but he went right over to James' bed and Sirius pulled down the covers. It was like there wasn't even a consideration of putting you somewhere else," Alice persisted.

Lily looked over at her best friend and frowned at the look she found on her face.

"What are you saying, Alice?"

"I think this is going to work. I was… doubtful when Sirius first suggested it, but… I think the four of you might just be perfect for each other," Alice said, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Lily wasn't sure what to make of that, but she knew one thing. Her friend was worried.

"Ali. You know you're my best friend and that you'll _always_ _be_ my best friend. Just because… just because this curse makes me need them, it doesn't mean I don't still need you," Lily told her.

"I love you, too, Lils," Alice said with a watery grin.

The two girls hugged and, for the first time since before the attack, it didn't feel awkward at all. Realizing that Alice was right, that being with her three guys was going to be good for them all, Lily finally allowed herself to cry.

"That's it, honey. Let it out," Alice soothed, rocking the two of them as Lily mourned the loss of the girl she could have been.

Alice held her the entire time, letting her get it all out before pulling away. Taking her hand, Alice led her into the bathroom. Wetting a wash cloth with cold water, Alice began gently cleaning her face, getting rid of the tear tracks and puffiness under her eyes.

"There. Now they'll never know," Alice said with a smile.

"Thanks, Ali," Lily said, hugging her one more time.

"Anytime," Alice grinned, shooting her a wink as the two left the boys dormitory.

If Lily had thought seeing the boys this morning would be awkward, it was nowhere close to how she felt seeing them after they'd all three had her one right after the other on the same desk. She was pretty sure her face was going to become as red as her hair if they said anything about what they'd done to her in the classroom. As it was, she could already feel the beginnings of a tell-tale blush staining her cheeks as she and Alice walked into the Common Room from the boys dormitory.

Alice pulled her along towards where the Marauders sat in the good seats in front of the fireplace, a game of Exploding Snap going on in front of them. For one brief moment, Lily stood frozen, forcing Alice to either let go of her hand or stumble with her abrupt stop. The sensation of being rooted to the floor only lasted long enough for James to look up and spot her.

"Come here. We saved you a seat," James said, indicating the spot between himself and Remus.

"Come on," Alice whispered, urging her forward.

Under the insistence of her best friend and one of the three boys she was shagging, Lily found the will to get her feet to move. Alice took a spot across from her, nestled between Peter and Sirius, while Lily sank down in the place reserved for her. Wordlessly, Remus' arm wrapped around her shoulders, but he didn't even glance her way as he continued to play the game. The feeling of his arm against the back of her neck was soothing in a strange way and she found herself relaxing into his side, pulling her feet up to press against James' hip. Across the way, Sirius shot her a wink with his signature smile before turning his attention back to the game.

* * *

For the next hour, Lily watched the interaction between the four boys. It was the first time she'd observed them, amazed by the way the seemed to communicate more with their bodies and implications than with actual words, but it was the first time she seemed to be included into the conversation. Every so often, James would reach down and squeeze her feet, a silent reminder than he was there, that she was okay. Remus' arm around her shoulder was a message to all that she was their's and a quiet nod to the others that she needed comfort. Sirius kept up a steady stream of laughter, but he'd give her a slow look after each one, as if making sure she wasn't feeling insulted or left out. Remus held his hand so that she could see and, on occasion, James would shift so that she could see his cards as well. It was a show of trust, one that held deeper meanings than a simple game of cards. They knew she needed them, needed the connection in order to stay sane. By including not only her, but Alice as well in with their group, they were showing her that it was okay to lean on them, to seek them out for support and comfort. Somehow, they had managed to turn a game of cards into an initiation into their family.

"Hey, Alice. Lily. You two coming to dinner?"

Lily looked up from her comfortable spot to see Claire and Susan watching them. Susan was taking in the scene with a suspicious eye, but Claire gave them all a tentative smile as she fiddled with her fingers, waiting for an answer.

"Sure, Claire. Thanks for reminding us," Alice easily answered, springing to her feet.

Disengaging herself from James and Remus, Lily stood to follow. Surprisingly, although she'd spent at least an hour between the two, the embers had remained embers and no fire had raged, turning her into a desperate nymphomaniac. She had a strong suspicion it was because Sirius, Remus, and James had seen to her needs so thoroughly, but until she discussed it with the Mediwitch in charge of her case, she couldn't be sure.

Instead of dwelling on it, she gave each of the boys a smile before following her three friends out of the Common Room.

"Wait a second, Lily," Sirius called, jumping over the back of his seat to get to her.

He held out a pocket sized mirror, much like the kind Muggle girls used to fix their make-up.

"What's this?" Lily asked, taking it and turning it around in her hands.

"It's a four- well, now I guess it's five- way mirror. All you have to do is say one of our names into the glass and we'll be able to communicate," Sirius explained and Lily heard everything he didn't say.

It was to be used in case she needed them again, instead of having Alice shoot off one of her little memos.

"Thanks," Lily said, trying to speak around the sudden stone in her throat.

And, of course, being Sirius Black, who never seemed to take anything seriously, he understood immediately.

"It's for that, too, but I mean it, Evans. This is how we all talk to each other when we're not close by. There's no limit to the distance, so whenever you need us, either for _that_ or just to talk, use it," Sirius insisted.

Unable to speak through the tears clogging her throat, Lily threw her arms around Sirius' neck and kissed him in gratitude. As his arms wrapped around her waist to return the embrace, she felt the embers starting to glow hotter. She was too emotional. If she didn't calm down, she was going to give the whole Common Room a show they'd never forget.

But he felt _so_ _good_.

Sirius broke their kiss first and it was only then that she realized they'd been snogging in the middle of the Common Room.

"Potion, Lily," Sirius rasped, his fingers biting into her hips.

"Here," Alice said, shoving the bottle between them.

Lily grabbed it with almost desperate hands and downed the thing in no time, relaxing as the potion did its job of cooling down the raging fire.

"We'll see you at dinner," Sirius said, tapping her nose affectionately before returning to his mates.

"Come on, Lily," Alice said, pulling her back towards the portrait hole.

As soon as the Fat Lady swung shut behind them, Susan pounced.

"What was that all about? Since when are you and Black an item?"

"We're not. He's just… helping," Lily said, trying desperately to sound confident.

"_Helping_? You mean he's shagging you because of that fucked up curse? Really, Lily? I mean, I get that you hate the bloke, but how could you do that to Potter?" Susan asked, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

Lily glanced over at Alice, but the smaller girl just stared back at her, waiting for Lily to decide what her story would be.

If there was one thing Lily knew, it was that if you acted ashamed of yourself, others were going to think you had something to be ashamed of.

But what if the guys didn't want everyone to know that they were all shagging her? She might be willing to face the gossip head on, but would they?

"Merlin… You're shagging James, too, aren't you?" Susan gaped.

Lily could feel the blush creeping over her cheeks and silently cursed her fair skin that gave her away so easily.

"Two blokes, Lily? Are… are you sure that's safe?" Claire asked quietly.

"They won't hurt me, if that's what you're asking."

"They might not hurt you, but what about each other? Blimey, Lily. You don't shag one bloke and then go shag his best mate! Everyone knows that!" Susan hissed venomously.

"It's not like that," Lily said.

"That's exactly what it's like. You better stop this before it gets too far, Lily Evans, because once word gets out that you're shagging two of the Marauders, the whole school is going to turn against you. And Merlin forbid you actually cause James and Sirius to fight each other! Then the whole school will really hate you," Susan insisted.

"But I… They… We aren't-" Lily tried to say, but luckily Alice cut in.

"I think if James and Sirius were going to fight over her, they'd already be doing it. I mean, James just saw Sirius snog the hell out of Lily. If he was going to get jealous, it would have been then," Alice said diplomatically.

"Oh, I'm pretty sure he was jealous. He just didn't act on it then. Watch, the four of them are going to walk into the Great Hall mad as a hippogriff with each other," Susan warned as they entered the Great Hall themselves.

"Come off it, Susan. The Marauders wouldn't let a girl come between them," Alice insisted heatedly.

"But Lily isn't just any girl. She's the love of James Potter's life," Susan persisted.

Was it true? Was this whole set-up really fair to James? Lily didn't seem to have much of a say in the matter, but she could remove James from the situation. She didn't want to hurt him, despite their somewhat rocky past. It wasn't fair to give him hope of a future with her when there was no guarantee that she would ever really be his. If this curse wasn't removed, she would never be a one-man woman.

But James was willing to share her, so maybe he was okay with it. Maybe… But, no. It wasn't right. She shouldn't be doing this. She should have never come back to Hogwarts. It was only causing more trouble.

She was just about to jump up from the table and run back to her room to start packing when the object of her thoughts plopped down beside her.

"Didn't really think we'd leave you alone for too long, did you, Lily?" James asked with a grin.

She looked over to where Susan was eyeing her evilly. Well, that answered that. She'd just lost one of her roommates.

The rest of the Marauders filled in around them, effectively cutting Lily off from the rest of the school as she was placed in the middle of their little group. Sirius sat across from her, Remus beside him, and Peter at the end. James sandwiched her between him and Alice. Claire and Susan sat on the other side of Sirius. It created the perfect bubble as someone would have to move around either James or Alice to speak to her and no one really wanted to go up against either of them to insult Lily.

"Evans, you gotta eat more than that," Sirius said, frowning at her sparse plate.

"I'm not that hungry," Lily mumbled, pushing her food around with her fork.

Sirius gave her a long, hard look, obviously unsatisfied with her answer. Sighing in defeat, Lily piled a bit more of everything on her plate before taking as big a bite as she dared. When he grinned in approval, Lily had to fight the urge to stick out her tongue, food bits and all.

"So, Black. When exactly did you and Lily get so close that you felt comfortable enough to snog her in the middle of the Common Room?" Susan asked, her voice sharp.

Lily glared at her roommate, knowing Susan was trying to get them riled up. She hoped Sirius saw the question for what it was.

"What you talking about Fenwick? Me and Evans have always been close. Right, babe?" Sirius smirked, shooting her wink.

"Oh, yeah. Always," Lily agreed, trying not to laugh.

"Uh-huh. And, what about your best mate?" Susan asked, face flushed in her anger.

"James? Don't really fancy snogging him, Fenwick, but if you'd like to, I'm sure he'd oblige you," Sirius snickered.

"Prat," Susan spat.

"Let it go, Susan," Alice hissed.

"Fine. Whatever. Good luck with your new status as the school slut, Lily," Susan said, shoving away from the table and storming out of the Great Hall.

Lily winced as everyone turned to stare at her, but James' arm tightened around her shoulders, reminding her that she wasn't alone.

"Sorry, Lily," Claire mumbled before following her friend.

"What a bitch. I can't believe she said that to you. I mean, granted, I knew she was a bitch, but still," Alice fumed.

"Well, now that she's gone, we can talk properly," Remus said, leaning across the table.

"About what?" Lily asked, a little worried.

"What you want to tell people. We've all talked about it and figure the best thing to do is to say you're dating Sirius since you've already been seen snogging him. It'll make the fallback easier to deal with," Remus said.

"If that's what you want," Lily agreed, sagging under the idea of having to lie to everyone.

She hated lying, mostly because she was so terrible at it. Her emotions showed right on her face.

"What do you want, Lily?" James asked.

"Honestly? I'd rather just tell everybody the truth. They're going to gossip anyway, no matter what we say. I'd rather put it all out there, let them have their fun, and get it over with. They'll let it go eventually, but I'd rather it be sooner than later," Lily said, leaning on his shoulder tiredly.

She couldn't believe how tired she was. She blamed it on the marathon sex session she'd had early, though it could also be from the lack of passion burning through her. Whatever the reason, all she wanted to do was curl up and go back to sleep.

"Are you sure that's what you want to do? There's no taking it back once we tell everyone," Remus warned.

"I know," Lily whispered.

He stared at her for a long time, searching for any doubt. He wouldn't find any. Lily knew this was the best way to handle it. Most people already knew about her curse. One more piece of information to fuel the gossip mill wouldn't kill her.

Not as long as she had her guys on her side.

"Alright. Wormtail, get the word out," Remus instructed.

Peter flashed her a bright smile before scurrying over to a third year. Lily recognized her, but couldn't call up a name to go with the face. For a minute, she doubted Peter's choice in first person, but second later, the girl had run over to the Ravenclaw table and was passing along the information she'd just learned. In a matter of minutes, the hall was buzzing and more eyes than not were focused on their spot at the Gryffindor table.

"Well, no going back now," Sirius grinned, rubbing his hands together.

He was right, in more way than one. She couldn't go back. The only thing left to do was push forward.


	5. Chapter 5: A Broom Closet

**Chapter Five**

Rumors of Lily's involvement with the Marauders spread like wild fire. By the time she, Alice, and the boys had returned to the Gryffindor Tower, most of the school was abuzz with chatter. The following morning at breakfast, it was all anyone was talking about. Thankfully, with the help of the Marauders' own version of the rumor mill, Peter had been able to curb most of the gossip away from the extreme. Lily knew versions of her escapades would quickly be blown out of proportion, but for the night at least, most of the rumors centered around the truth.

Her relationship between Claire and Susan was strained at best. Neither girl was speaking to her, though they both didn't seem to have a problem talking to Alice. Susan seemed determined to turn her against Lily, but Alice was firm. Claire simply sought to maintain some level of harmony within the room. Luckily, Lily and Susan slept on opposite sides of their room and Claire and Alice were very good at keeping the two apart.

It truly took no time at all for the students and professors to realize the Marauders had closed ranks around Lily and Alice. All it took was a Slytherin by the name of Rosier to insult Lily and Alice as the two were walking to class. The Marauders retaliated with a brilliant array of curses, ranging from painful urination, puss filled boils on his face, and a rather large object shoved in a rather small place, which caused the old boy to waddle gingerly towards the Hospital Wing to get it removed.

Of course, it came as no surprise that James would defend his ladylove. What shocked everyone was the way in which Remus and Sirius were so quick to defend the lovely Lily Evans.

From there, the rumors spread faster than before. In less than an hour, people were taking bets on who had fathered the love-child growing inside Lily and arguing over whether there would be a wedding before or after they graduated Hogwarts. Some even went so far as to divulge information about how Alice was soon to join in on a little Marauder fun.

It was to be expected, but Alice and Lily still felt the sting every time they were the target of attack. Thankfully, they had taken to spending most of their free time with the Marauders, and not only to help Lily curb her sexual desires. Just a little over after a week, it was suddenly common to find the six Gryffindors huddled together in the library, eating together in the Great Hall, lounging together by the Black Lake, or playing together by the Gryffindor fire.

The commonality of seeing the six together had not yet grown old, however, and it is because of this that they were the object of so many stares as they enjoyed their first Saturday out by the shores of the Black Lake.

"You two do realize that essay isn't due for another two weeks, right?" Sirius asked, lazily tossing a Quaffle to James.

"Yes, and that's why we're doing it now, because in two weeks, you'll be badgering us to help you with yours," Remus quipped, not bothering to look up from his scroll.

"I'm doing it because I'm finally able to focus long enough to write it," Lily said with a wry grin and a shrug.

"You have been doing a lot better. Maybe the curse is fading," Alice said from her spot lounging against the trunk of a nearby tree.

Three heads jerked in Lily's direction, each face holding equal parts nervousness and worry.

"No, it's not that. It's the new potion they've got me on. The Mediwitch in charge of my case in experimenting, but this one seems to be working the best so far," Lily told her, scribbling away.

All three boys gave silent sighs, relief evident in their posture.

"Not to worry, gents. Your little slice isn't going anywhere anytime soon," Lily assured them, smirking.

"Aw, come off it, Evans. You know we think you're more than a piece of arse," Sirius said with a frown.

"Though it is a lovely little piece," James complimented.

Lily shot him a smile in gratitude before Peter's retching noises made her blush and look away.

"Merlin, the four of you need a room," Peter grumbled.

"Get used to it, Peter. I have a feeling we'll be subjected to this for a long while," Alice sighed.

Trying hard to get rid of the red staining her cheeks, Lily bent over her essay once more. She only had another six inches to go before she reached the required length and she'd only managed to hit on three of the five points she wanted to make. Luckily, Professor Flitwick never minded when she went over the required length, unlike some of the other professors who insisted she maintain the requirements they set.

Giggling and the shuffling of feet distracted Lily from her fourth point moments later. Glancing up, she saw a group of fifth year Hufflepuffs coming towards them. Emmeline Vance was among them and it was she who stepped forward, blushing furiously as she made her way towards Sirius.

"Hey, Sirius," Emmeline greeted breathlessly.

"'Lo there, Em. Have a good summer?" Sirius asked awkwardly, pausing in his game of catch with James.

"Oh, sure. My parents and I went over to Paris for a few weeks."

"Yeah? Sounds like it was a good summer, then," Sirius said, shooting a slightly desperate look Lily's way.

She winked in return, enjoying his torment just a little bit.

"The best part was all the fashion. Paris is one of the fashion capitals of the world, you know," Emmeline said brightly.

"Uh, no, actually. I didn't," Sirius muttered, but Emmeline didn't seem to hear him.

"I bought this truly fabulous dress, but I've got nowhere to wear it to until a Hogsmeade weekend," Emmeline pouted.

"Er, sorry 'bout that."

"Well, see. I was wondering if maybe you'd like to take me? I really can't wear it on just any old Hogsmeade weekend. It's really more of a date outfit," Emmeline explained sweetly.

Sirius looked absolutely terrified and practically shouted at the poor girl, "I can't. I'm taking Evans."

Lily felt a creeping suspicion when Emmeline didn't seem too disappointed.

"Oh. Well, how about you, then, James? You willing to go to Hogsmeade with me?" Emmeline asked sweetly.

Instantly realizing what the younger girl was doing, Lily pushed to her feet in order to stare the girl down.

"Sorry, Emmeline, but they're both going with me," Lily said.

And before she could turn her claws onto Remus, she added, "All three of them."

"Well, that's too bad. I know quite a few girls who will be disappointed to hear that the rumors are true, but good on you, Lily. Now I see why you never said yes to James. You were waiting for the whole set. I assume Peter will be next," Emmeline said, still in that sticky sweet voice.

"Nah. Evans isn't really my type," Peter piped up from his place on the ground.

Both she and Emmeline ignored him.

"That's right, Em. You go tell everyone what a big slut Lily Evans turned out to be. I managed to catch three of Hogwarts most eligible bachelors and I'm not giving them up any time soon," Lily said with a vicious grin.

"Good luck keeping them. Everyone in the school knows what a prude you are. I doubt you'll be able to keep them entertained for very long. Bye, Lily."

With that, she turned and made her way back to the castle with her gaggle of friends following behind.

"Don't listen to her, Evans. She's just-" Sirius started, but Lily quickly cut him off.

"Jealous. I know. It's okay, Sirius. Really. I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to your deal. I'm not going to hide from it. That'll just feed the gossip mill more. The best way to handle it is to admit to everything," Lily said, retaking her place beside Remus.

"I don't know how you do it, but you looked damned sexy telling her off," Remus murmured, tangling a hand in her hair.

"You think so, huh?" Lily asked with a small smile.

"Oh, yeah," Remus said, leaning in for a kiss.

And, of course, because it was her and because she hadn't had them since Monday, her body instantly lit up like someone had pumped firewhiskey through her veins. Her hands immediately moved to tangle in his hair, drawing her body up to press against his. Their tongues dueled for dominance until Remus' hand tightened in her hair, breaking the kiss.

"Potion," he rasped before kissing her nose.

A bottle was pressed into his hand and he held up the potion-filled glass for her. She gulped down the contents quickly, sighing as the fire was extinguished for now.

It took more determination than before to return to her essay, but eventually she was able to keep herself from staring at the way Remus' muscles flexed when he twisted his quill in thought or the way James and Sirius shirts stretched tantalizingly across sculpted bodies as they returned to their game of catch. She celebrated the little victory by writing furiously, anxious to finish the essay before something else came along and distracted her.

* * *

Sunday passed in much the same way as Saturday, the six Gryffindors lazing about, completing some last minute homework, or in Remus and Lily's case, helping the others finish last minute homework.

Monday went much better than the previous one as Lily was better able to control herself when Professor Slughorn brought out the students' cauldrons of Amortentia to show them how the colors and scents had changed over the weekend. Instead of wanting to jump that random guy in front of her, she simply felt a tingling in her lower stomach and an ache between her legs, the sensation much easier to ignore than the raging fire that had been her desire last Monday.

She was even able to make it almost back to the Common Room with Alice before she lost control. She would have made it the whole way, but they'd run into Remus walking back to the common room from his extra, advanced session of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Lily had taken one look at him and dragged him into a nearby broom cupboard.

She hadn't even bothered with a greeting before she was tugging on his clothes, practically ripping the buttons off his shirt in her haste. Strong hands gripped her hips, drawing her closer to his body and the hard length that would soon ease her ache.

"Off," Lily panted, pulling at his trousers.

"Easy, Lil. You're gonna tear the button right off," Remus chuckled, his hands reaching down to release his cock.

Lily moaned at the sight. He was hard, the bulbous head a purple plum color and leaking little drops of pre-cum. He stroked himself once, twice, his breath stuttering as she watched him.

"Take off your panties, Lil," Remus rasped.

She practically tore the scrap of material off in her hurry to have him fill her. He didn't wait any longer than the amount of time it took for her panties to hit the floor. In seconds, he had her in his arms, braced against the wall as his cock sought out her dripping pussy.

"Help me out," Remus demanded.

Shivering under the intensity of her desire, she reached down and guided his thick length inside her, moaning at the feel of his silken skin pressing into her heated core. Remus hissed, his head thrown back as he sank in the rest of the way until their pelvis' touched and she could feel him pulsing deep inside.

"Hold on tight, sweetheart," Remus said darkly before pulling out and slamming back in.

Lily couldn't contain the cry that ripped from her throat as he plundered her, their bodies slamming together over and over as he fought to bring her the ultimate pleasure. His heavy breath panted against her neck as he forced her up and down his cock, groaning when she rotated her hips down to meet him. Her legs wrapped tightly around his waist, wanting him closer, deeper. Her nails made little half-moons on his shoulder where she gripped tightly, her fingers clenching on every thrust.

"That's it, sweetheart. Mark me with those claws of yours," Remus growled.

She whimpered as he increased his pace, slamming her body against the wall every time he impaled her on his cock. She was so close, her body tightening in preparation for the oncoming climax. His cock dragged over the walls of her pussy, his pelvis rubbing against her swollen clit. A couple more thrusts and she came, biting down on his shoulder to keep from screaming loud enough to shake the castle walls.

"Oh, Merlin," Remus groaned as he own climax came over him.

She could feel the sticky hot fluid of his cum pulsing from his cock and coating the inner walls of her cunt. He continued to thrust through his orgasm, sending shivers of delight throughout her body until with a muffled sigh he collapsed against her. Pressed between his body and the wall, Lily wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek, below his ear, along his jawline until he lifted his head to meet her seeking lips. Their tongues tangled together sweetly, neither one fighting for dominance. They simply allowed their lips and tongues to do the talking, thanking each other silently.

"We should probably get back to the Common Room," Remus whispered, his nose rubbing along her cheek.

Still unwilling to speak and break the spell their sexing had woven over her, she silently let her feet find the floor. They both moaned when Remus' cock slid from her body, sending a mix of their fluids down Lily's legs.

"Let me," Remus said, kneeling before her.

He wordlessly erased all evidence of their time together before sliding her panties back up her legs and into place. Before standing, he leaned forward and placed a kiss over her covered mound, making her gasp at the delicious sensation.

He shot her a grin as he stood. Too sedated to do much more than attempt to glare at him, she didn't protest when he took her hand and pulled her from the broom cupboard. Alice stood beside the door, casually leaning against the brick wall and watching as people walked by. As soon as she saw them come out, she gave them both a wide grin and raised one delicate blond eyebrow.

"Hush up, Ali," Lily mumbled, playfully shoving her friend.

"Oh, darling. Next time, you should hush up or remember to put a silencing charm on the door. It's lucky I did it for you before some innocent first years heard something they shouldn't," Alice teased, linking her arm through Lily's as the three made their way towards Gryffindor Tower.

"Ah, yes. Next time you drag me off somewhere, I'll have to remember that," Remus agreed, winking Lily's way.

"Yes, you should. Especially seeing as how I was a little preoccupied with some unhelpful buttons," Lily sniffed, trying and failing to keep her cheeks from turning red.

"I'll remember that for next time, too," Remus promised, leaning down to kiss her cheek sweetly.

With that, he turned to the Fat Lady with a cheerful, "Dragon's Head".

The three scrambled through the portrait hole to find the other half of their group lounging in front of the fire, all bent over a sheet of paper. They looked up as Remus, Alice, and Lily moved to join them.

"There you three are. We've been waiting," James said, scooting over to make room for Lily to plop down between him and Sirius.

"Sorry. Lily and I had some business to attend to," Remus told them, settling down by Peter and leaving the end cushion for Alice.

"I see. And did you manage to finish your business?" Sirius asked with a sly grin.

"Of course, Padfoot. Would we honestly be here if we hadn't?" Remus smirked, his brown eyes twinkling mischievously.

"You're all rotten," Lily huffed, crossing her arms and falling back against the couch.

"Come off it, Evans. You know we're teasing. I suspected you'd have another episode after hearing Slughorn's still teaching Amortentia," Sirius said, tossing an arm over her shoulders and pulling her into his side.

"Do we really have to discuss it where anyone can hear, though?" Lily mumbled, knowing her face was a bright red.

"No one's paying us a bit of mind, babe. Besides, we set up a barrier around us. Anybody who gets too close will only hear a buzzing sound," James assured her.

"Really? What spell did you use?" Alice asked, leaning forward curiously.

"Oh, something we dug up one day," Sirius said with a mysterious smirk.

"Where? The library? Cause I've read almost every Charms book we have," Lily said with a slight frown.

"Nah. An old book of Snivellus', actually. That bloke has some issues, but some of his spells have been useful," James told them.

"Snape? He creates spells?" Alice asked, obviously shocked.

"He's really brilliant. He knew more spells our first year than a lot of seventh years," Lily said, defending her old friend.

"Lily. I know you two used to be friends and all, but… you don't hang out with him anymore, do you?" James asked.

Lily met Alice's gaze across the table, but quickly looked away.

"Not since… since last year. When he… you know," Lily said uncomfortably.

"Called you that fucking disgusting name," Sirius practically snarled.

"Yeah," Lily mumbled, shifting nervously.

"Hey. You know he's a prat, right? It's why we've always cursed him. We knew he'd turn dark and we didn't want you anywhere near him," James said, tilting her face towards his.

Lily nodded, not wanting to admit her embarrassment at all her years ignoring Severus' darkness. She'd known he had that side since first year, but she'd ignored it because… well, because Sev had been her only friend back home, the first one to teach her about magic. She'd loved him, but it had never been in the way he claimed to love her.

"I don't blame you guys. Not anymore," Lily admitted, leaning into James' embrace.

"Good. Cause we never want to give you cause to be angry at us again," James said, nuzzling her hair.

"Oh, I'm sure that's not going to happen," Alice laughed.

"That little faith, huh?" Remus asked, knocking shoulders with her.

"No. I just know Lily _that well_. She comes by that red hair naturally," Alice said, grinning like a fool.

"I can control my temper," Lily defended, though she was unable to completely hide her smile.

"Sure you can, hon," Alice agreed mockingly.

"Well, we've managed to keep her happy so far," Sirius said, squeezing Lily's knee.

"Yes, you have. And I thank you for that," Lily said, leaning up to kiss him sweetly.

James crooked a finger at her and tapped his lips, silently asking for a kiss. She heard the Common Room erupt with whispers behind her, but she didn't pay them any mind as she leaned over and gave James his kiss.

They could talk all they wanted to. She was not giving this up.


	6. Chapter 6: Venomous Tentacula

**Chapter Six**

Tuesday morning found the Gryffindors huddled together inside the greenhouse along with the Slytherins. Sirius was happy to note that with all their attention focused on the damned plants in front of them, nobody was shooting Lily any kind of looks. He, James, and Remus had found themselves incredibly close to cursing the entire student body on more than one occasion. If it wasn't for Lily's happy smile whenever she was with them, he had no doubt that many more students would have been submitted to the same treatment as Evan Rosier. His punishment had been far too short for Sirius' liking, but Lily had pleaded that he not go after the scum again. Despite having nearly the entire school against her, his girl still managed to hold onto her tender heart.

"Remember: You must stun the Venomous Tentacula before you can begin pruning," Professor Sprout instructed, her dark brown curls bouncing about her round face.

"Diffindo," echoed from every students' mouth and the prickly plants froze.

"Avoid the spikes," Professor Sprout called out, walking around the room and observing.

"Damn straight," Sirius agreed under his breath.

"Been stuck before, Sirius?" Lily asked from her place beside him.

James and Remus were across from them, Alice was on Lily's other side with Peter on Alice's other side. James and Remus were talking amongst themselves as they worked, conversation being difficult across the tables, but Sirius didn't miss the way they kept glancing at Lily, checking to make sure she was alright.

"Once or twice. The damn things grow all around the Black family manor," Sirius grumbled, snipping at some of the dead and dying vines.

"Seriously? Your family keeps poisonous plants?" Lily gaped.

"Sure. How else are they supposed to keep out trespassers and the occasional disowned relative from visiting?" Sirius asked with a shrug.

"You're joking, right? Please tell me you're joking," Lily said, her disbelief obvious.

"Not even, Evans. Luckily for me, Mr. and Mrs. Potter don't mind me staying with them over holidays. If I tried to go home, I'm liable to find myself on the wrong side of a Dark Curse," Sirius told her.

While Lily stood gaping at him, he noticed that her plant had begun twitching slightly. Before he could warn her or whip out his wand, the plant had wrapped it's vines around her neck.

"FUCK!" Sirius shouted, grabbing for his wand.

The room seemed to explode with noise as everybody turned their attention to Lily. Her hands reached up to pull at vines as Sirius shouted a stunner at the damn plant.

Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one. Remus and James had shouted the spell as well. As a result, the poor plant exploded, sending its venomous bile onto Lily, himself, and Alice.

"Goodness! The three of you! Off to the Hospital Wing, now! Mr. Pettigrew, you will accompany them," Professor Sprout dictated.

"We'll go, too, Professor," Remus said, already racing around the table to take Lily's hand that had previously been protected by her dragon skin gloves.

James was right behind him and before Professor Sprout could offer up a protest, the six Gryffindors were out the door and hurrying towards the castle.

By the time they made it to the Hospital Wing, the bile had begun to burn and the three were in various stages of agony. Sirius insisted that the girls be seen before him and Alice insisted Lily get seen before her, seeing as how she'd gotten most of the bile and had the plant try to choke her.

Madam Pomfrey closed a curtain around the bed designated as Lily's and got to work. Sirius fidgeted as James helped him remove some of the bile and rub salve into the burns. Remus was helping Alice do the same. She'd been lucky and only had a few burns on her arms and a small one on her left cheek. Lily had been positioned to bloke most of the bile that would have flown Alice's way.

The screams started just as James was helping him apply salve to his face, making Sirius jump from his bed, ready to rush to Lily's side.

"Sit down, Pad. She's going to be fine," James insisted, pushing him back down.

"Damn it, Prongs. Don't placate me," Sirius snarled, attempting to rise once more.

"Leave it, Padfoot! Madam Pomfrey knows what she's doing," James said.

Sirius didn't miss the way his hands shook as Lily's screams continued, growing in volume the longer they went.

"Fuck, I hate this," Sirius groaned, falling back against his bed.

Alice began crying softly in the bed beside him, her eyes fixed on the curtain blocking Lily from their sight. Remus had finished helping her apply the salve and stood holding her hand as he too stared are the curtain.

Finally, after what seemed like forever but had really only been about ten minutes, Lily's screams stopped. A minute later, Madam Pomfrey stepped out, snapping the curtain closed behind her.

"Is she going to be alright?" James asked, practically pouncing on the woman.

"Miss Evans will make a full recovery after some rest. I suggest those of you who do not need my attention return to classes. You may return after my patients have gotten their rest," Madam Pomfrey insisted, shooing them from the infirmary.

"Don't worry, mates. I'll keep an eye on them," Sirius said.

"We'll check in soon, Pad," James said, patting his pocket meaningfully.

Sirius nodded, subconsciously patting his own pocket where he kept his mirror. As soon as she had ushered James, Remus, and Peter from the room, Madam Pomfrey disappeared inside her office, muttering about contacting Slughorn for more salve.

Sirius was out of bed before her door was completely shut and across the room in seconds, slipping through the curtain. He groaned as he took in Lily laid out on the bed, her eyes closed in a forced sleep.

Boils covered her face, neck, and forearms. Despite the salve that Madam Pomfrey had applied, the boils were an angry red. Unable to walk away from her, Sirius slipped his hand through hers, grateful for the dragon-skin gloves that had protected her.

"How is she?" Alice whispered as she crossed the curtain.

"Bad."

"Oh, Merlin. Lily," Alice moaned pitifully, tearing splashing on the linen of Lily's bed.

"Don't cry, doll. She'll be fine," Sirius assured her, hugging her to his side.

Unwilling to leave Lily's side, he summoned a couple of chairs and he and Alice settled down for a long afternoon.

* * *

"_Sirius. Sirius. Sirius!_"

Sirius jolted awake as someone whisper-shouted his name. Looking around, bleary-eyed, he tried to see who had called him.

Alice was napping in her chair, her feet propped up on Lily's bed as she slouched in her chair. The curtain still hid them from the rest of the room and he was surprised Madam Pomfrey hadn't come over to tell them off yet.

"_Sirius Black!_"

The noise was coming from his pocket. Realizing James, Remus, or Peter were trying to contact him through the mirror, he dug around until his fingers touched smooth, cool glass.

"_About bloody time. How's Lily?_" It was James in the mirror, his face a mask of irritation and concern.

"She's sleeping, which is what I was doing before you so rudely interrupted me," Sirius grumbled.

"_Come off it, mate. She's really alright?_" James asked worriedly.

"She's fine. Her boils have already faded," Sirius told him, glancing across Lily's face and arms.

"_Good. Listen, we're going to come by after classes, but if the old bat won't let us through, we'll sneak in later with the cloak. Any idea when you and Alice will be discharged?_" James asked.

"Nah. Haven't seen Pomfrey since she disappeared into her office right after you lot left," Sirius said.

"_Alright. Listen, if Lily wakes up…_" James trailed off uncertainly.

"I'll tell her, mate," Sirius said, understanding what James couldn't say.

James nodded once before his face disappeared and Sirius was left staring at his own reflection.

He couldn't believe how quickly it had happened, but he finally understood why James had been chasing Lily since First Year. The girl had fire and spirit with a flair for sarcasm and humor. Not to mention she had a sweet side that made him want to keep her safe so that no one ever took advantage of her sympathetic nature. People like Snape.

If Sirius had his way, that little greasy-haired git would find himself at the bottom of the Black Lake.

"What do the two of you think you're doing?"

Alice jerked awake beside him, practically leaping out of her chair at Madam Pomfrey's shrill tone.

"We were just keeping Lily company," Sirius drawled.

"You should be in bed, both of you. How can you expect your bodies to heal if you don't give them rest," Madam Pomfrey scolded.

"We were resting. We were just sitting with Lily while we did it," Sirius said.

"Besides, Madam Pomfrey, we were a lot better off than Lily. My burns started fading right away," Alice said softly.

"Be that as it may, I told you to remain in bed and you directly disobeyed," Madam Pomfrey huffed.

"I'm sorry," Alice murmured, looking rather contrite.

"I'm not. That's my girl and I don't like leaving her when she's obviously hurting. I don't want her waking up thinking she's alone," Sirius said, refusing to feel bad.

"And I can appreciate that, Mr. Black, but there are other ways of going about it. I will remove the curtain and you may lie in the bed beside Miss Evans, but you will both remain in your beds until I give you permission to leave them. Is that understood?" Madam Pomfrey demanded.

"Yes, ma'am."

He and Alice moved onto either side of Lily as Madam Pomfrey removed the curtain keeping his girl from sight. The salve had gone a long way to healing the majority of Lily's boils, but there were still nasty burn marks all over her exposed skin. Sirius' own burn pains paled in comparison to the pain of watching his girl suffer. Even in a forced state of sleep, Lily's brow was wrinkled in discomfort.

"Is there something you could give her to help numb the pain?" Sirius asked, a tight feeling in his chest as he watched Lily suffer.

"I would thank you very much, Mr. Black, if you would leave Miss Evans' healing to me. I do know what I'm doing," Madam Pomfrey said defensively.

"Obviously not if you can't see that she's still in pain," Sirius snapped angrily.

"If you cannot control yourself, Mr. Black, I will have you removed from this wing," Madam Pomfrey warned.

Despite wanting to go toe-to-toe with the old bag, Sirius bit his tongue and sat back against his pillow. He was determined not to let Madam Pomfrey separate him from Lily. At least not until the other Marauders could break free to come be with her.

From the other side of Lily's bed, Alice shot him an angry glare, her blue eyes flashing dangerously. It reminded him so much of the Lily who used to stand up to James that a physical ache settled in the pit of his stomach.

Despite having worked with the others to keep Lily's desires satisfied and her constant companion feeding her potion after potion, Lily's fire had dimmed considerably. Sirius wasn't sure how to go about bringing back her spark, but, as a Marauder, he was determined to find a way to give Lily a little piece of her old life back.

* * *

Pinpricks of pain seem to radiate from the bones in her face and arm outwards, making everything hurt. Even before Lily opened her eyes, she knew she was in the Hospital Wing. She could remember Sirius' panicked expression as the plant wrapped it's tentacles around her, the sound of all three of her men shouting stunners at the thing, and the resulting explosion covering her in the poisonous bile. She'd known she would be in the Hospital Wing as soon as the bile hit. The walk to the castle was hazy and everything after that a complete blank.

She could feel them, though, around her, all three of them.

Fingers threaded through her hair and gripped the strands, gentle but strong enough to make sure she knew they were there. She opened her eyes to find Remus leaning over her, the moonlight shining through the windows high above.

"Hey, sweetheart. How are you feeling?"

"Sore," Lily croaked.

"I bet. That's what happens when you don't pay attention around poisonous plants," Remus scolded with sweet concern.

"Not funny."

Her voice was raspy from sleep, making her sound huskier than normal.

"Damn straight it isn't. You are never allowed near poisonous plants again," James snapped from her other side.

When she tried to turn her head, Remus' hand in her hair prevented her.

"And if you ever, _ever_, turn your back on a dangerous plant, person, spell, _anything_ again, I'll have you over my knee so damn fast, your head will spin," Remus practically growled.

Lily didn't even try to hide the shiver that snaked down her spine at the dark tone of his voice. There was absolutely no way to hide the fact that his voice, all deep and dark, sent a rush of arousal straight to the juncture between her legs.

Remus' smirk certainly didn't help anything.

"I thought so," Remus murmured, leaning in close to kiss her nose. "You and I, sweetheart, are going to have a talk about that soon."

"Not sure I want to," Lily said breathlessly.

"It's not about what you want. It's about what you need and I will be giving it to you," Remus assured her.

"Merlin, Moony. Do you really have to show your freaky side right now? Let her go," Sirius griped from nearby.

His hand eased from her hair, smoothing the strands briefly before moving away from the bed and allowing her to see James and Sirius standing on the opposite side of her bed. James smiled brightly, leaning down to kiss her sweetly, his lips brushing across her forehead, cheeks, and lips.

"You had us worried, babe," James said against her skin.

"Sorry," Lily sighed.

"Do you need a potion for the pain?" James asked, rising.

She nodded against her pillow and as James moved away, she got her first real look at Sirius.

"Sirius! You're hurt." She tried to rise from her bed, but two sets of hands kept her down.

"I'm fine, Evans. You're the one we've been worried about. I just got a few minor burns on my arms," Sirius assured her.

Lily took hold of his arm and traced her fingers over the fading marks left behind by the burns. He stood still under her scrutiny and when James returned with a potion for her pain, she took a gulp to satisfy her men and then promptly began dabbing the potion on Sirius' scars.

"Is Alice okay?" Lily asked, noting that her friend was nowhere to be found.

"Madam Pomfrey released use after dinner. She's back in the Gryffindor Tower," Sirius told her.

"How did you get here?"

"Invisibility cloak," James said from his place behind Sirius.

She stopped rubbing the potion onto Sirius' burn marks and just stared at her rather messy-haired man.

"Come again?"

"I have an invisibility cloak. It's been in my family for generations. My dad gave it to me when I came to Hogwarts," James told her.

"An invisibility cloak? You have an invisibility cloak? But… they're so rare. And they never work for _generations_. That's unheard of," Lily insisted, feeling her inner nerd come out.

James shot her a cocky grin and pulled out a silky fabric before whipping it over his shoulders and disappearing right before her eyes.

Lily knew she probably looked like a fish out of water with her mouth gaping as she stared at the place James had been seconds before, but she couldn't seem to find it in herself to close her mouth. At least, not until a pair of invisible fingers slipped under her chin and forced it up.

"Believe it now?" James asked and she could hear the laughter in his voice.

Unable to form words just yet, she nodded.

He was still wearing that grin when he slipped out from beneath the invisibility cloak and stuffed it back in his robes. The past five years suddenly made so much sense to Lily.

"That's how you do it. Sneak around the castle and pull your pranks. You use the cloak," Lily whispered, completely awed.

"Well, the cloak and the map," James admitted, looking over at Remus.

From his back pocket, Remus pulled out a blank sheet of parchment paper and set it down on her bed. Taking out his wand, he placed the tip in the middle of the paper and spoke, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Black ink spread from the point of his wand outward until the entire parchment was covered in intricate designs. The words "Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prong, Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present THE MARAUDER'S MAP" scrolled across the page.

Wordlessly, Remus opened the map to show the Hospital Wing. Lily could barely believe her eyes when she saw four dots with the names "Lily Evans", "Sirius Black", "Remus Lupin", and "James Potter" hovering above them. As she watched the map, the dot labeled "James Potter" began moving. She looked up and, sure enough, James had moved across the room to stand by the Hospital Wing door, just like the dot on the strange map.

"When did you… how did you…?"

"We finished it Fifth Year, but we've been working on it since Third," James said as he moved back across the room to stand beside Sirius once more. He touched the tip of his wand to the map and said, "Mischief managed."

The map disappeared before her eyes, fading until there was nothing left but blank parchment.

"Holy Merlin," Lily breathed, falling back against her pillow.

"We realize this is a lot to take in, but we really don't want to keep these secrets from you. You're a part of us now and we want you to see that no matter where you are, we'll always be able to get to you," Sirius told her.

"There are a few other things we need to tell you if you feel up to it," Remus said slowly.

"I already know, Remus," Lily said, steadily meeting his gaze.

"I figured you might, but you probably don't know about James, Sirius, and Peter," Remus smiled wryly.

"Oh, Merlin. I don't know if I want to know," Lily groaned, peaking over at the other two.

"It's not that bad, Evans. Don't look at us like that," Sirius grinned.

"If you can accept Moony's furry little problem, you should be able to accept this," James said.

The two began shifting right before her eyes. Some of their bones elongated while others shrunk until they were forced to drop onto all fours. In the span of thirty seconds, Lily found herself face to face with a stag and a black dog.

"Oh my God," Lily gasped, reverting to Muggle slang in her utter and complete shock.

With a happy bark, Sirius launched himself onto her bed, sitting on her feet and wagging his tail. James snorted and shook his antlers at the wriggling beast, but moved to nuzzle her palm. Not quite over her shock, Lily absentmindedly stroked the stag between his antlers as Sirius stretched out over her legs.

"As you can see, Sirius obviously enjoys his Animagus state."

"It suits him," Lily said, beginning to smile.

It was true. Sirius' happy nature was reflected perfectly in his Animagus form. She briefly thought about the dog her neighbor had, a small terrier thing who had a tendency to hump whoever happened to be closest at the time. She giggled as her mind replaced little Chippy with Sirius' much larger form.

"Are you okay with this? I mean, I know there really isn't much of a choice, but you know you can't tell anyone about this," Remus said, sounding slightly unsure for the first time.

"I know. I can't believe you managed to pull this off. It's incredible," Lily said.

"They finished the transformation last year. We've been working on it since second year when they found out about my problem," Remus explained.

"It's amazing. And they can join you like this, right? So you're not alone?" Lily asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah. At first the wolf wasn't too sure about them, but I have less injuries when they're with me, so they must be doing something right," Remus said with a wry shrug.

"You three are so amazing. How did I get so lucky?"

"I'm sure that if they were able to speak, they would agree with me when I say that we're the lucky ones. Thank you, sweetheart," Remus whispered before kissing her.

As his lips moved across hers, Lily fought back tears as she realized the pressure she felt in her chest had absolutely nothing to do with the potion or the curse. She wouldn't say it yet, but in that moment she knew she had fallen irrevocably, impossibly in love with three Marauders.


	7. Chapter 7: The Room of Requirement

**Chapter Seven**

"You're okay!"

Lily had barely enough time to brace herself before a mass of blond obscured her vision as her best friend huddled her body over the couch and straight at Lily.

"I was so worried! And Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let me in to see you because she said you needed rest and I tried to tell her I would just sit there and no even say a word, but she still wouldn't let me in and I was so worried and no one knew how you were doing and not even Professor McGonagall would tell Madam Pomfrey to let me see you and I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Merlin, Alice. Breathe," Lily chuckled, hugging her friend.

"Sorry, but I really was worried. And, for the record, that boyfriend of yours is really scary when he's angry," Alice said in a stage whisper.

"Which one?" Lily laughed.

"Sirius. I thought for sure he was going to hex Madam Pomfrey into next month if she didn't leave him stay with you," Alice said with wide eyes.

"Yeah. They were waiting for me as soon as Madam Pomfrey released me," Lily said, glancing over at where her three men were talking with their fourth Marauder. Even completely focused as they were on their conversation, all three of them looked up when she glanced over at them making her blush and quickly look away.

"That would be kind of creepy if it wasn't such a Marauder-ish thing to do," Alice grinned, pulling her over to settle down on the couch.

"How was last night? Did Susan or Claire say anything?" Lily asked, completely redirecting the conversation.

"No, they basically ignored me. Claire did ask if you were alright, but that was it," Alice shrugged.

"Good. I was worried Susan might try to cause trouble for you."

"Oh, please. There's nothing she can throw at me that I can't throw back," Alice said, waving her off.

"I know, Ali. You're awesome like that," Lily grinned.

"About time you realized my potential."

The two fell against the couch giggling, arms intertwined and their heads close together.

"So, how are you really? Because it's been three days since you and Remus were in that closet and I know you haven't had anything since then. Have you been mainlining potions?" Alice asked in a soft whisper.

"I'm actually okay. I didn't need any potions while I was in the Hospital Wing. I asked Madam Pomfrey about it and she seems to think it was because I was in so much pain, but I felt fine yesterday," Lily told her.

"Maybe the curse is fading," Alice suggested.

All it took was a glance back at the Marauders for Lily to know that the curse had done anything but fade.

"Or maybe not," Alice giggled, noticing Lily's reaction.

"Merlin, I don't know what's going on. I'm perfectly fine unless I look at or think about one of them," Lily groaned, falling back against the couch once more.

"Well, who can blame you, honestly? From the rumors I've heard, those three are veritable beasts in the sack and you've got all three of them waiting on you hand and foot," Alice said with a somewhat evil grin.

"I wouldn't go that far," Lily protested.

"Oh, please. If you so much as gave the slightest indication that you needed something, one or all three of them would be over here faster than you could say 'quidditch'," Alice insisted.

Lily couldn't help but look back over the couch at the Marauders once more. She was unsurprised to find them looking back at her. She felt that, somehow, they knew she and Alice were talking about them. Shooting them a small smile to assure them everything was fine, Lily turned back to Alice.

"Maybe, but that doesn't mean I need to have them help me with every little thing."

"I know that. I'm just saying, any number of girls would kill to have one of the Marauders and you have three. It's any wonder you can get your work done between the three of them," Alice said.

Lily could see what Alice meant. Ever since she'd agreed to be with the Marauders, she'd barely had any alone time. Even when they weren't right beside her, they were only a mirror-call away. Although she didn't feel crowded by their constant presence, there was a certain sense of disquiet inside of her. She had never enjoyed being surrounded by people, never felt comfortable in a constant crowd. She could feel the break coming, the time would she would desperately need some time alone, and was powerless to stop it.

"Ali. If I asked you to do something…" Lily trailed off uncertainly.

"You know I've got your back no matter what," Alice said solemnly.

"I need a break. Just a little one. Could you distract them tonight long enough for me to go to the room?" Lily asked.

"Of course. How long do you need?" Alice asked.

"A few hours. I just need some me time," Lily said.

"You got it. I'll take care of it after dinner. You can have as long as you need," Alice grinned.

"Thanks, Ali. You're the best," Lily smiled, hugging her friend tightly.

"You just now figuring this out?"

* * *

James sat in front of the fire and tried not to smile. He was fighting a losing battle, but he endeavored for the sake of Alice's pride. He'd been on to her from the start, as had Remus and Sirius. He figured Peter was the only one who hadn't caught on yet, but the longer Alice talked, the more unsure Peter looked.

"So Lily's run out of potion and needs the four of us to go fetch it from Professor Slughorn because she can't find her socks and won't wear shoes without socks and refuses to go barefoot?" Peter asked, scratching his head.

"No. I'm tell you that the four of you need to go get Lily's potion because she's worried about a blister on her foot. She doesn't want to risk popping it by wearing her shoes and causing an infection and she can't walk barefoot because the blister hurts too much," Alice correct him.

"A blister?" Peter frowned.

James had to fight not to look at Sirius and Remus for fear he'd bust out laughing. Oh, Alice was weaving a brilliant web, changing her stories every time Peter asked a question for clarification. It was brilliant and would work on anyone who had one iota of logical sense. Unfortunately, Wormtail wasn't really known for his logic and Alice was walking all over him.

"Have you ever had a blister, Peter? It can pop very easily and then you have to worry about infection which could lead to amputation if not taken care of properly. Do you really want to cause Lily to lose a foot just because you don't want to walk down to talk to Professor Slughorn?" Alice asked angrily.

"B-b-but-" Peter stuttered.

"Alright, Alice. Enough. We'll go get Lily her potion," James said, stepping in to save his friend.

"Really? Thanks, James! You're the best," Alice chirped, grinning wide.

"Come on, mates. Let's take care of our girl," James said, leading the rest of the Marauders out of the Common Room.

As soon as the portrait hole shut behind them, James allowed his amusement to break through. Sirius and Remus joined him in his laughter while Peter chuckled uncertainly.

"Oh, she's good. She's very good," Sirius gasped when they finally managed to control themselves.

"I'll say. That girl's smarter than anyone gives her credit for," James agreed.

"What? She was playing us?" Peter asked, frowning angrily.

"She was trying to, at least. Moony, you got the map?" Sirius asked, leaning lackadaisically against the wall.

Remus pulled the map out from his back pocket and they all crowded around the parchment. As the ink appeared across the page, Remus began folding and unfolding sections, searching for the dot labeled "Lily Evans". They searched the map three times before admitting defeat.

"Is the map malfunctioning?" James asked, frustrated.

"It's not possible. The spell is foolproof. If her dot isn't on here, then she's not at Hogwarts," Remus said.

"I think Alice knows where she is. That's why she's been talking us in circles," Sirius fumed, already turning towards the portrait hole.

"Wait! There she is," Peter said, pointing to a dot that had just appeared.

"What the hell is she doing on the seventh floor? The only thing up there is the staircase leading to the Divination tower," James frowned down at the map.

"Well, she's heading this way now, from the looks of it," Peter said, his finger following Lily's dot.

The four stood there, watching as Lily's dot maneuvered through the school back towards the portrait hole. When they were sure the Gryffindor Common Room was her destination, the four clamored back through the portrait hole to await the redhead.

They didn't have long to wait. Just ten minutes after they'd crawled back through, Lily appeared. She spotted them immediately, sitting as they were in their usual spots. With a happy smile, she practically bounced over to them.

Some of the anxious anger left James as he took in her smile and the lightness about her that had been missing since the start of term.

"Hello, you lot," she greeted them, bending over the couch to kiss Sirius and Remus each before flouncing across the small space to land in James' lap. "Not plotting, are you?"

"Us? Plotting? What would give you that idea?" Sirius asked innocently.

James didn't fail to notice that his mates had relaxed upon seeing Lily as well. Their initial concern at being unable to find her had faded the instant she walked into the room.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's the map sitting on the table," Lily said, just as innocently.

They all looked down and realized that they had, in fact, left the map open and visible. With a light giggle, Lily leaned forward, touching her wand to the middle of the map and whispered "Mischief managed."

"We _were_ looking for you," James told her, watching as the map disappeared.

"I'm sorry. I need a little bit of alone time and the Room of Requirement is my favorite place to just be," Lily told them, sighing sweetly as she snuggled against James' chest.

Feeling as though his chest was about to burst, James wrapped his arms around the girl he'd been in love with since First Year. He tried to control the excitement and thrill he felt at finally being able to hold her close, but knew he didn't completely succeed when she wiggled closer, her hip brushing against his hardening cock.

"The Room of Requirement?" Peter asked, leaning forward eagerly.

"Hmm? Oh, yes. You know. The Come and Go Room," Lily said distractedly.

One look at his fellow Marauders confirmed that they had no more idea of what Lily was talking about than he did.

"You mean you guys don't know?" Lily asked, surprise evident as she looked around at them.

"When we looked for you on the map, we couldn't find you. Peter saw you appear on the seventh floor corridor, but before that, it was as if you weren't inside the castle," James told her.

Lily stared at them, mouth agape.

"You never found the Room of Requirement? The Marauders? Merlin, Alice and I found it our third year," Lily said in complete surprise.

"What is it exactly?" Remus asked, leaning forward.

"It's… well, it's the Room of Requirement. It's not always there, but it pops up when you need it. You have to pace back and forth three times in front of the wall, thinking about what you need and, _voila_. The room appears," Lily explained.

"Show us," Sirius insisted.

"Now?"

"Right now."

Despite the lateness of the hour, Lily led all four of them through the castle until they reached the seventh floor corridor, directly across from a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls ballet. For a long time, the four Marauders simply stood there, staring at the blank wall while Lily stood nearby, waiting.

"Well, go on, then," Lily prompted.

James stepped forward and began pacing back and forth, thinking to himself, _We need a quiet place where no one can find and interrupt us. A comfortable place with books for Lily and Remus, some Quidditch gear for me and Sirius, and something to distract Peter. A big roaring fireplace with a large comfortable sofa for all of us._

James continued thinking about the room, trying to be as specific as possible so that there would be no doubt to the room's power when the door finally appeared.

As he passed the wall for the third time, a large wooden door appeared from the stone.

Undeterred, Lily strode over and opened the door, slipping silently inside. James followed right after, still uncertain about this mysterious room. He felt Sirius, Remus, and Peter behind him and all four of them stopped at the sight that greeted them.

"Wow, James. Nice work," Lily said, turning from her point in the center of the room to take in every aspect.

It was exactly what he'd asked for. One entire wall was filled with books, the shelves overflowing with literature for Remus and Lily. On the opposite side sat two broomsticks and a Quaffle, one hoop on either side of the long room. The ceiling was almost as high as the ceiling in the Great Hall, making it perfect for flying. And at the very end of the room was an exact replica of the Astronomy Tower, complete with night sky for Peter, who only seemed to do well in the star-gazing class.

Cushions were scattered across the room, pillows strewn all over the floor in front of a massive fireplace. A single couch that wrapped around a small table was the perfect setting for all five of them to sit comfortably. With a happy sigh, Lily collapsed into a pile of pillows, eyes closed in contentment.

"Very nice," Lily sighed, stretching her arms out wide.

"This is unbelievable. How did we not know about this?" Remus muttered, walking further into the room.

"Forget about that. How did Evans know about it when we didn't?" Sirius asked, looking around in a bewildered sort of wonder.

Peter, who had spotted the Astronomy supplies, darted eagerly across the room, exclaiming over the items laid out for him.

"How did you find this place, Lily?" James asked, standing over her.

"Alice and I found it by accident while looking for the girl's lavatory. We passed this way a few times before the door opened. After we left, the door disappeared, so we tried it again. It only took us a few times before we figured out the room wasn't limited to lavatories. After that, we took to coming here whenever we need a break from homework, friends, professors, and the like," Lily told him.

"And you've known about this since Third Year?" Sirius asked, flopping down beside her.

"Yep," Lily grinned smugly.

"Alright. We'll allow you this one victory, Evans, but don't let it go to your head. The Marauders still know this castle better than anyone else," Sirius told her, poking her side.

She giggled and squirmed away from his touch, agreeing "Yes, yes. You lot know it better than anyone."

"And don't you forget it," Sirius growled, tugging their girl close.

"Oh, yes. I think this room will come in very handy," Remus said, holding up something small, pink, and plastic.

"What is that?" Lily asked, laying across Sirius' chest so that her juicy bum was on display.

"This, sweetheart, is an anal plug and we will be introducing it to you very soon," Remus told her with a dark grin.

"Oh, Merlin, I can't wait for that," Sirius groaned, his hand going to cup the ass just inches from his face.

James' own trousers were feeling incredibly tight at the thought of Lily sandwiched between him and Sirius. Over the years, he and his best mate had shared a number of girls. They enjoyed taking a woman together, having her soft body pressed between their hard one, forcing her to orgasm again and again as they push and pulled her to meet their needs. On occasion, Remus would join them, though his kink tended to be slightly dark than James' and Sirius', mostly involving chains, whips, clamps, and handcuffs. So far, very few of the girls they'd dated had been open to Remus' preferred lifestyle.

James had to believe Lily would be different, otherwise Remus would draw himself from the relationship they were developing and James' little family would be torn apart.

"You better have lots and lots of lube before you even think about shoving that thing up my ass, Remus Lupin," Lily warned, though James could hear the slight hitch in her voice.

"Oh, don't worry, sweetheart. I'll get you nice and ready before I start 'shoving' things up that pretty little ass of yours," Remus assured her darkly, twisting the butt plug.

Lily shivered across Sirius' lap, making them all grin knowingly.

Sirius traced the seam of her trousers, his hands rubbing along the rounded globes of her bum, squeezing experimentally.

"Can you imagine it, Evans? Once Remus gets you up to a decent size plug, we'll all be able to take you at once. Think about it. One of us in your sweet pussy, one in your tight arse, and one filling you mouth. You won't be able to move because you'll be so packed full of cock, but you won't have to. We'll rock you between us and there won't be a moment when you don't have one of us balls deep inside some part of your body. And you'll come at least twice before we even think about letting go."

Sirius' voice was dark and low as he described all the things they wanted to do to her. Lily's breathing was slow and heavy, her eyes half-lidded as she moved against Sirius' hand.

"Please," Lily whimpered prettily.

"Soon, babe. Real soon," Sirius promised.


	8. Chapter 8: An (Un)Expected Attack

**Chapter Eight**

Maybe it was the fact that their promises kept swirling around inside her head. Maybe it was because her menstrual cycle had just ended and she'd been deprived for over a week. Or maybe it was that none of her three guys had dismissed her simply because they couldn't have sex.

Lily's period had always been a difficult time for her. The mild cramps and bloating her friends endured with minimal pause to their daily life seemed heavenly to Lily who often was bedridden for the first two or three days of her cycle. Before the curse, Madam Pomfrey had been able to reduce her symptoms with a strong potion, but taking the potion would counter the effects of her "lust potion", as she had taken to calling it.

She had been only mildly surprised to find Remus at her bedside when she failed to show up for classes the first day of her cycle, his lovely face creased in worry as he looked down on her.

"How did you get up here?" Lily had asked groggily.

"Froze the stairs. What's wrong?"

She was glad it had been Remus to come find her as she wasn't sure James or Sirius would have understood about the female reproductive system and that really wasn't a conversation she wanted to have while bleeding from her vagina. Thankfully, Remus had caught on after a simple "It's my time of the month."

After that, he'd disappeared for half an hour before returning with a compress that stayed hot, a veritable mountain of chocolate, Muggle pain relievers (which were safe to take with her lust potion), and a number of fiction books from the library to keep her entertained.

The first day and a half she hadn't wanted any of them near here, but they had badgered her until she agreed to set the mirror up on her bedside table so that they could check in on her. By lunchtime on Thursday, the second day of her torture, she had managed to crawl out of her bed, stumble down the stairs, and climb up to flop into Sirius' bed, the one closest to the door.

_Un_fortunately, she'd forgotten her mirror in her room. _Fortunately_, James had taken the map with them to class. When she hadn't answered their call through the mirror, James had pulled out the map and found her dot in their dormitory. They had joined her not ten minutes later, laden down with food delicious enough to tempt her away from the chocolate and painkiller diet she'd been on the day prior.

The beds weren't really made for four people, but by pushing Remus and James' beds against Sirius', they created one massive bed for all of them to spread out on. Lily, of course, was in the middle, bundled up in Sirius' comforter. They had stayed with her the rest of the day, skipping out on their afternoon classes to keep her company.

The following day, she had returned to classes and her guys had been extremely affectionate as they accompanied her around the school. Instead of throwing his arm around her shoulders like usual, Sirius had taken her hand and laced their fingers together as they walked to Charms. James had sat behind her in Transfiguration, his fingers almost constantly combing through her hair while the rest of the class looked on in curious wonder. Even Remus, her rough and tumble guy, was sweetly tender as he settled her on his lap late that evening, sharing his Herbology book with her. They had ended every evening with Lily snuggled between the three of them with Alice and Peter sitting nearby, talking or simply enjoying each other's company.

It had felt good to know that even if she couldn't have sex with them that they were still willing to stick around.

But now she was in desperate need, the kind she hadn't felt since before she became involved with the three Marauders.

The problem was, they were all busy.

Sirius was serving detention for hexing Malfoy in the corridors, Remus was recovering from a rather nasty full moon in the Hospital Wing, and James was at Quidditch practice, which is why she found herself huddling under her thickest cloak in the Quidditch pitch at eight o'clock at night.

She had never really picked up much on Quidditch before becoming involved with the Marauders. Sure, she would attend matched and cheer on the Gryffindor team, but she'd never really understood the game until Sirius and James had discovered her severe lack of education on the subject.

Now, she felt like a veritable expert as she watched the seven starters fly around the pitch, preparing for the upcoming game against Ravenclaw. The reserve team hovered beneath, playing a much more mundane version of the game going on over their heads.

Of course, Lily was paying very little attention to anyone but James. Her body was practically humming with anticipation of when he would call practice. She couldn't deny how incredibly sexy she found his Quidditch uniform to be and she'd spent all of practice imagining how exactly she would get him out of it.

The images flashing through her head sent another rush of liquid between her thighs, further dampening her already soaked underwear. She moaned and crossed her legs tighter, anything to relieve the ache building inside her. If James didn't call practice soon, she was liable to do something drastic.

"Alright, team. Good work! Those Ravenclaws don't stand a chance!" James shouted as the team gathered together in the middle of the pitch.

Lily tuned out his post-practice speech as she waited for him to spot her.

She grinned when his fellow Chaser, Dorcas Meadows pointed her out to James when he made to leave the pitch with the rest of the team. The moonlight reflected off his glasses as he turned to find her and, even as far away as she was, she could see the smirk playing about his lips.

He remounted his broom and kicked off, flying straight for her as the team headed towards the locker rooms.

"'lo there, Lily. You could have told me you were coming," James said as he hovered in front of her.

"I didn't know I would be coming," Lily told him, trying to focus on their conversation and not the way his uniform clung to his chest.

"What made you decide to come?" James asked, leaning lazily forward.

Lily had to swallow against the dryness in her throat before she could even consider answering.

"I, uh… I need…" Lily stuttered breathlessly.

James' smirked widened as he inched his broom forward slowly.

"I know what you need," James murmured, holding out a hand for her.

Relieved, Lily grasped his wrist and allowed him to pull her up in front of him. Feeling the heat of his body against hers was like lighting a match and Lily was instantly on fire for him. As he attempted to navigate back to the ground, Lily twisted so that she could dig her fingers in his hair, her lips frantically seeking his.

Their tongues dueled as James stopped their decent to wrap his arms securely around her waist, drawing her closer to his body. She could feel the hard length of his arousal, pressing against her hip and causing her to writhe in wanton need. One of James' hands slipped down past her skirt to begin trailing back up her leg.

"Spread your legs a bit, babe," James rasped desperately as she suckled the sensitive spot beneath his ear.

She cried out as his fingers pressed against her swollen clit through her thin cotton panties. He groaned when he felt just how wet she was for him, his fingers tugging at the elastic to meet her flesh.

"Face me," James demanded, his hands gripping her hip as he swung her leg over so that she was straddling him.

"James," Lily whimpered, now feeling his hard cock exactly where she needed him.

"I need to get us down," James said, his breath choppy.

"Hurry," Lily pleaded, wrapping her body around his.

She couldn't stop kissing him, even as he very shakily brought them down on the pitch. Her teeth nibbled along his neck, her tongue licked at his jawline, her lips fastened to his as he carried her towards the locker room.

"They better have shoved off," James muttered as he shouldered his way through the door.

They were lucky. The team had already gone up to the castle, no doubt anxious for their beds after a hard practice.

Before she could so much as glimpse the inside of the locker room, James had her pinned against the wall, his hands suddenly everywhere. They were tugging as her underwear, slipping beneath her shirt, grasping her breast, scratching down the length of her spine, tangled in her hair and she burned for more.

"Oh, Merlin, James, hurry," Lily practically sobbed, her arousal almost to the point of pain.

"I wanted… _bloody hell_… our first time to be… _Merlin_… softer, but I just don't think…_ right there_… I can stop," James said as she continued her assault on every piece of available skin.

"I don't want soft," Lily insisted, practically tearing his trousers in her rush to get to what she really wanted.

James groaned as she revealed his hard cock, the tip glistening with pre-cum and the whole thing practically touching his stomach he was so aroused. Lily wrapped her fingers around his length, pumping a few times to spread the pre-cum down the base. James hissed as her short nails dragged across his sensitive skin.

"Put me in," James growled before slamming his lips against hers.

She positioned him at her entrance as he devoured her, his teeth biting at her lips before his tongue soothed the sting with gentle licks. As soon as his cockhead was in position, he simultaneously dropped her and thrust up. The result was a powerfully swift invasion that made her scream in the sweetest sort of agony.

"_Oh, God_," Lily cried, unable to do anything but hold on as he began pistoning in and out of her soaked cunt.

She knew she wouldn't last long. She'd been too aroused for too long and the rasp of his cock inside of her was quickly sending her over the edge.

"Oh, Merlin, I'm coming," James groaned and she felt the first twitch deep inside.

That was all it took and she went off like a rocket, sobbing incoherently as the most powerful orgasm she'd ever felt crashed over her with all the force of a hurricane. She was helpless to do anything but hug herself tightly to him as James filled her to the brim, his face buried in the crook of her neck.

"Never… Merlin, but it's _never_ been like that," James whispered, his lips pressed against her damp skin.

Silently, Lily agreed with him.

"You're so bloody perfect, Lily," James sighed, leaning back to look at her fully.

"You're not so bad yourself," Lily smiled sleepily, her fingers brushing through his windswept hair.

James touched his head to hers, his hazel eyes infinitely deep as they held her emerald gaze, and vowed, "I'm never giving you up."

Tears in her eyes, Lily choked back, "I don't want you to."

Their kiss this time was much more tender, as if it were the first time. His hands were gentle as they smoothed over her wrinkled shirt to settle on her waist. It was sweet and gentle and made her toes curl with the simplicity of it all. This was what she wanted, this moment where there was no urgency, no rampant desire, no insistent urge demanding she fulfill the need placed upon her by a random curse.

"Wash my back?" James asked when they pulled apart.

"Only if you wash mine," Lily teased.

"Deal."

Lily let her feet find the floor, shivering as she felt their mixed fluids shift inside her. James helped her undress and grinned when she returned the favor.

They washed in silence, sharing the soap, shampoo, and rag. It wasn't until they were dressed and James had finished vigorously rubbing both her and her hair dry that he spoke.

"I love you, Lily."

It felt as though all of her insides had turned upside down at his tender words and Lily struggled to breathe as she faced him. He was smiling softly down at her, wrapping a strand of her hair around his pointer finger.

"I think… I love you, too," Lily admitted.

"But?" James asked, watching her closely.

"But I think I love Remus and Sirius, too," Lily whispered, as though speaking the words quietly might lessen the blow.

To her surprise, James practically beamed down at her.

"I knew you were perfect."

"How can you say that? It wasn't… I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you guys," Lily said furiously.

"Honestly, Lily. And they say you're the smartest witch in our year. Do you honestly think we went into this with any intention of ever letting you go?" James scoffed.

"Then… it isn't just you?" Lily asked, trying not to show how hopeful she was.

"Of course not, you daft girl," James chuckled, rubbing his nose against hers. "I have it under the best authority that my mates are just as mad about you as I am."

"You all must be mad. I don't see how this is going to work long term. And what about when the curse is broken and I'm not this… this wanton sex craved harpy anymore? What then? Will the lot of you just up and leave because Evans isn't such an easy lay?"

Lily hadn't realize how nervous she was about that very real possibility until that very moment.

"That's ridiculous. Lily, I've been chasing you for six bloody years. Honestly, if the curse was broken tomorrow, I wouldn't give a rat's arse and neither would Remus or Sirius. Well, Sirius might care a bit, but it's you we want, Lily. Not the curse," James said fiercely.

"It just drives me mad. If it weren't for the curse, none of this would have happened," Lily groaned, thunking her head against his chest.

"Which is why I'm so bloody grateful it did happen," James sighed, holding her tight.

"What? How can you say that?" Lily demanded, trying to break his hold.

"Hush. I don't like the fact that this curse has power over you, but Merlin, Lily. Do you honestly think I'm going to be upset that I've finally got you? That I can finally hold you close and tell you all the things I've been dying to say since third year when I realized just how crazy I was about you? Granted, I wish it hadn't been a curse that sent you my way, but I'll not apologize for being glad that it did," James said.

She continued to glare up at him, not entirely convinced that she should like or agree with what he was saying. When he refused to release her, though, she had little choice but to lay her head back against his chest and accept it.

"Come on. Let's get back to the castle before Moony and Padfoot send out a search party for us," James insisted, taking her hand in his much rougher one.

"Wouldn't they just check the map?" Lily asked with a small smile as he led her outside the locker room.

"Moony might, but Padfoot tends not to always think things through before he acts. If we aren't careful, we're liable to find Wormtail scurrying around under our feet," James teased, pulling her along.

"Just so long as he waits until after we're dressed before showing up," Lily huffed.

James shot her a sideways glance, a mischievous grin on his handsome face.

"No guarantees, babe. He is a Marauder, after all."

* * *

It was bound to happen, she supposed. It wasn't like they were keeping the curse, or the fact that she was dating three of the four Marauders, a secret. Still, it surprised her when, after Advanced Potions Friday afternoon, while she and Alice were making their way through the corridors to meet the guys for dinner, a group of Slytherin fifth years caught up with them.

"Hey, Evans. Fancy a little trip into the broom cupboard?" asked a rather portly boy with dirty blond hair and a flat, piggish nose.

"Yeah, we don't mind sharing, either. Do we lads?" sneered a tall, lanky boy of African descent.

"Not at all. Come on, then, Evans. We'll even give your friend a nice shag," a brute of a redhead smirked, reaching out to grab Lily's arm.

"No, thank you," Lily snapped, jerking away from his offending arm.

"Come off it, Evans. We all know you would take it any way you can," the first boy chortled.

"She said no," Alice said, linking her arm through Lily's as they tried to get away.

"No need to get huffy. We said we'd shag you as well. Come, then, love. Give us a kiss," the redhead insisted, grabbing Alice and pulling her away from Lily.

Before she could reach for her wand, the second boy had her pressed against the wall, his lips viciously sucking hers. One of his hands kept hers captured while the other moved up to grope her breast. Lily winced, knowing his firm grip was bound to leave bruises on her incredibly pale skin.

The curse tried to take over, recognizing the hard length pressed against Lily's stomach instantly and her body began to respond in kind. Her mind, however, rebelled, insisting that it wasn't one of her guys and so she wasn't going to let him take advantage of her.

As her body and mind fought each other, she could hear Alice struggling with the other two in the background. The sounds seem to come from a very long tunnel, not quite making sense to her dizzied senses.

She didn't fight the boy holding her off, but neither did she respond, so wrapped up in her own internal battle that she doubted she would be able to move on her own. She stood there, rigid with a mix of fear, desire, and indecision. More than anything, she wanted someone to come by and get the slimy git off of her.

"Oy! What's going on here?"

The boy holding her didn't so much as pause his assault, but Lily was pulled enough out of the curse's hold to listen as the other boys responded.

"We're just having a bit of fun. Run along now."

"Let her go," the new voice demanded, sounding harsher than anything Lily had heard before.

"I don't think so. You can find your own-" the boy who was talking abruptly stopped and she heard Alice sob after two thuds.

The boy holding her stopped his assault to see what had happened to his mates, giving Lily enough breathing room to gain further control over her body. With all her mental strength, Lily forced herself to knee the bastard in the groin, effectively dropping him.

"Nicely done, Evans."

Lily looked up to see Frank Longbottom, a Seventh Year Ravenclaw, helping Alice to her feet.

"Thanks. You okay, Ali?" Lily asked, panting against the curse's hold.

Alice nodded, clinging tightly to Frank as she tried to regain her footing. Lily noticed that the first few buttons of her shirt were undone, a few of them missing, and her hair was wilder than anything Lily had ever seen.

"I'm alright. Do you need a p-potion?" Alice asked, visibly trembling.

Lily closed her eyes and nodded. She heard the sound of Alice fumbling with her bag and felt so incredibly guilty. Alice had just been attacked by two guys and she was having to help Lily instead of being helped herself. Fighting against frustrated tears, Lily pushed herself away from the wall and moved to take Alice's bag from her.

Or, at least, she had intended to. Instead, she found Frank rummaging through Alice's bag, searching for the potion Lily needed to counteract the curse's effects.

"This it?" he asked, holding out the small vial.

"Yeah," Lily croaked, taking it from him and downing the potion.

Frank watched her for a while as he continued to support Alice.

"Good?" Frank asked.

"Good. Thanks," Lily whispered.

"Let's get you guys to the Hospital Wing," Frank said, bending over to lift Alice into his arms. "Can you walk?"

Lily nodded and mindlessly followed Frank, all the while cursing herself for not anticipating the attack sooner.

"It's not your fault, you know," Frank said as they climbed the stairs out of the dungeon.

"I should have known it was going to happen," Lily argued.

"You can't anticipate the actions of others. Just because you have a curse doesn't mean you shouldn't feel just as safe as the rest of us walking down these halls," Frank insisted angrily.

Lily didn't know what to say other than, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

* * *

"Anybody seen Lily or Alice?" Remus asked, looking up and down the Gryffindor table.

They usually met the girls right after Potions for dinner, but dinner had started an hour ago and neither had shown up yet.

"They're not still on Amortentia, are they?" James asked worriedly, knowing how the potion had affected her.

"No. They've moved on to Draught of the Living Death," Remus said, having gone over the finer points of the potion with Lily just last night.

"She and Alice are probably just chatting up Slughorn for the next Slug Club meeting," Sirius said, though he too glanced anxiously at the door.

"Er, why not just check the map?" Peter suggested, frowning curiously at his best mates.

The three looked at him briefly, as though stunned at his logic, before James produced the map. Remus leaned closer to help search for the dot, anxiety churning in his gut when he saw the Potions classroom and surrounding area deserted.

"Where is she?" James muttered as they traced the path she would have taken to the Great Hall.

They intersected her and Alice's dot at the turn off for the Hospital Wing. Remus tried to ignore the way his heart sputtered and enforced logic on his overactive imagination.

"Alice probably had a problem with her potion," Remus insisted.

"What's Longbottom doing with them, then?" Sirius asked, frowning angrily at the old boy's dot.

"Maybe he was in the Hospital Wing and is just walking with them," Remus offered, though he didn't entirely believe it himself.

"Come of it, Moony," Sirius said.

"We shouldn't jump to conclusions. Lily will tell us what happened when she gets here," Remus insisted, trying to be the voice of reason.

"Longbottom had better've kept his hands to himself," Sirius grumbled, falling back into his seat.

"If he's touching up on anyone, it'll have been Alice," James said, knowing the Ravenclaw had been watching Alice for quite some time.

"Good. Let's make sure he keeps it that way, yeah?" Sirius snapped just as the object of their conversation entered the Great Hall.

"Bloody hell," Remus groaned, jumping to his feet.

James and Sirius were quick to rise as well when they saw Lily's decidedly rumpled appearance and Alice's even worse disorderly uniform. Frank stood on one side of Alice while Lily flanked her on the other. Lily kept shooting nervous looks over at the Slytherin table, but Alice seemed determined to avoid looking that way at all costs. Frank met Remus' gaze and gave an imperceptible nod known and understood by men everywhere. Frank had stepped in to fulfill a role none of the Marauders had known was needed.

Lily hadn't called them.

"Evening," Lily mumbled, kissing Remus briefly before moving to greet James and Sirius in a similar manner.

"All right, Frank?" Remus asked, shaking the older boy's hand.

"All right. Mind if I join you lot for supper?" Frank asked, helping Alice into her seat.

"Not at all," Sirius agreed with a grin that showed a little too much teeth.

"What happened, Lily?" James asked, jumping right in.

"Can we talk about it later?" Lily asked, fidgeting nervously.

Remus met James' gaze over top of her head before they both looked towards Sirius who was too busy glowering at Frank to notice.

Leaning close to make sure no one else could hear, Remus whispered in Lily's ear, "You're all right?"

Lily nodded quickly, but Remus saw the tears shimmering in her eyes as she refused to look at him.

Understanding that she just needed some time, Remus wrapped an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. He would be patient and wait for her to tell him what had happened.

Then he would spank her ass for not calling them.


	9. Chapter 9: Braids and Spankings

**Chapter Nine**

Since Frank obviously couldn't accompany them into the Gryffindor Tower (and Remus very much wanted to hear his side of this story), the six Gryffindors led the one Ravenclaw towards the Room of Requirement. Lily paced in front of the wall three times, wringing her hands nervously until the door appeared. Remus followed her quickly into the room, surprised when he found it to be rather like their common room, but smaller and with more seating around the fire.

Lily took a seat on the couch facing the fire and drew her legs up, wrapping her arms around her knees as the rest of them filed into the room. Alice slipped down into a loveseat with Frank and Remus noted she had yet to let go of the older boy's hand.

James and Sirius filled in on either side of Lily and Peter took one of the few armchairs, leaning forward eagerly. Remus, however, remained standing, his back to the fire so that he had a clear view of Lily as she told them what had happened.

When neither Lily nor Alice made any move to speak, Remus moved around to sit on the coffee table, his legs on either side of Lily. He took both her hands in his as James and Sirius shifted to press more firmly against her sides. They were completely surrounding her, a move meant to make her feel safe.

"Tell us what happened, Lily," Remus requested, his voice barely above a whisper.

With a shaky sob, she began to recount what had happened in the hallway. Remus made sure to keep his hold on her light and calming, even as she detailed the way that bastard had forced himself on her. When she told them about how she'd kneed him to get away, Remus allowed a bit of a smile to break through.

"And then Frank helped me and Alice to the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey checked Alice over, but… but I couldn't let her touch me. I was still too keyed up and I knew that if… if she touched me… I would fall apart," Lily sobbed, her entire body shaking.

"Are you okay now?" Remus asked, that being the most important thing.

Lily nodded mutely, her green eyes rimmed with red as they met his.

"I feel so dirty," Lily whispered brokenly.

"You are not dirty. None of this is your fault," Remus insisted.

"And I promise, Evans, we'll make those bastard pay," Sirius swore, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Just as soon as Frank gives us their names," James added, glancing over at the Ravenclaw.

"Markus Greengrass, Thelonious Rosier, and Arion Gamp," Frank said, his arm wrapped tight around Alice's shoulders.

"Three young wizards who will not be graduating Hogwarts," James said solemnly.

"Shame," Sirius deadpanned.

But Lily was frantically shaking her head.

"You can't. You can't hurt them," Lily said desperately.

"They're not going to get away with this," Remus said, trying to make her understand that they _couldn't_ just let this go.

"Fine, but go to Dumbledore. Don't… Merlin, don't go after them yourselves. You'll get expelled and then I'll be here alone," Lily choked out.

As if they'd comforted their girl together a million times before, Sirius, James, and Remus all moved in at the same time. Sirius and Remus hugged her between them while Remus pressed against her front. It was a mess of tangled limbs, but Lily was able to calm down and that was all that mattered right then.

"Breathe, sweetheart," Remus whispered against her lips.

"We're not going to leave you," James assured her, his lips pressed against her hair.

"But we are going to kick some ass," Sirius grumbled into her neck.

"Don't," Lily pleaded, her hand tightening around Sirius' wrist.

"Don't worry, Evans. We won't get caught. They'll never know it was us," Sirius said.

"We've been doing it for years, babe. Trust us to take care of it," James added.

"We'll go to Dumbledore, too," Remus said when he notice James and Sirius were doing little to assuage her fears.

The four of them stayed like that for a while, holding tight to each other. The full weight of what was happening crashed over Remus and he realized that sharing Lily with James and Sirius was more than just about sex. It was all four of them, sharing responsibilities, burdens, and joys. For instance, he could stay and get the dirtier details from Frank because he knew Sirius or James would take care of Lily.

"Why don't I take you and Ali back to the tower? The two of you can get into pajamas and spend the night in our dorm," Sirius offered.

"Alice?" Lily looked to her friend for guidance.

"Yeah. That sounds good," Alice agreed, rising from her spot beside Frank.

Lily moved to link arms with Alice and the two bent down to hug Frank.

"Thank you for saving us," Lily said tearfully.

"I'd say anytime, but I really don't want to have to do it again," Frank said with a sad smile.

"Us, too," Alice chuckled darkly.

"Come on, girls. Let's go get comfy," Sirius said playfully.

Remus was relieved when they both grinned at Sirius' poor attempt at humor and led him from the room. Right before the door closed behind him, Sirius met Remus' gaze and an understanding passed between them.

As soon as the door snapped shut, Remus turned to Frank.

"Tell us everything."

* * *

Sirius tried not to stare at the way Lily's sleep shirt kept riding up on her thigh, but it was incredibly difficult seeing as it was _his_ shirt she had nicked for the night. She and Alice were spread across Remus' bed, it being the cleanest one, flipping through some magazine in order to restore normalcy.

"Oh, what about this one?" Alice asked, pointing to a picture.

"With my hair? I don't think so," Lily said, shaking her head.

"Well, we could change the color pretty easily, I should think," Alice said thoughtfully.

"Whoa, there! Nobody is going to touch Lily's hair, not while I'm around," Sirius interrupted.

Lily giggled at his rough and tumble tone, but Alice glared at his intrusion on "girl talk". He had to admit, he liked hearing Lily giggle enough that he could handle anything Alice threw his way.

"We weren't talking about changing her hair color, you twit. We were talking about changing the dress color."

"Oy! Evans, you going to let her talk to me that way?" Sirius asked, making sure to throw in an overdone pout for good measure.

"Don't call my boyfriend a twit," Lily said to Alice, unable to completely contain her smile.

"Tell your boyfriend to butt out," Alice countered with a mock glare.

"Well, we are invading his room. He kind of has a right to say what he wants," Lily pointed out.

"Not if he's the one who invited us here in the first place. He has to respect the 'girl code'," Alice insisted.

With a long suffering sigh, Lily looked over to where he was lounging on the bed, watching the two of them banter.

"Sirius? Would you let me braid your hair?" Lily asked sweetly.

Instantly suspicious, Sirius asked, "Why?"

"Because then she'll let you comment about stuff like my hair and the dresses we pick out," Lily said, putting just the right amount of pitiful regret into her tone to make him cave.

"Bloody hell. Just don't let the guys know or they'll never stop taking the mickey out of me," Sirius groaned, moving to join the girls on Remus' bed.

"Oh, don't worry. We're going to do theirs', too," Alice said with an evil grin.

Giving a resigned sigh, Sirius moved where Lily wanted him and turned himself over to her talented fingers.

"So, what do you think of this one?" Alice asked with a grin.

She was holding up the magazine she and Lily had been looking at prior to Sirius' outburst. Lily's fingers smoothed through his hair, drawing out any tangles that might be lingering before separating the strands into three separate sections.

"It's alright," Sirius said noncommittally.

He blinked in surprise when a much longer strand of hair than his own fell over his shoulder. He could feel Lily's fingers pulling and tugging on the strands, so he knew it was his hair, but she had somehow made it grow about six inches longer.

"See, Lily? Sirius likes it," Alice said unnecessarily.

"Again, Ali. With my hair?" Lily huffed.

"What if we changed it to… blue? A dark blue, like the color of midnight?" Alice suggested thoughtfully.

Sirius looked closer at the dress in question, trying to imagine the color Alice was talking about. The dress was all right, really. It was shorter than most of the other dresses in the magazine, stopping just short of the model's knees. He particularly liked the way the dress cupped the model's breasts, imagining just how much better Lily would fill it out.

"And I love the back. It would look so good against your pale skin," Alice continued, prodding the picture gently.

The model turned to showcase the back of the dress. Sirius instantly changed his mind about the dress. If Lily wore that, he, James, and Remus would be fighting off every guy within a twenty mile radius. No, absolutely not. She would not be wearing the dress that had absolutely no back to it at all.

"Lily is not wearing that," Sirius said harshly.

"What? Why not?" Alice asked, looking down at the picture.

"Because some asshole could easily slip their hand down the back to grab her ass and then the boys and I would have to seriously hex some people. I'm not letting some bastard get his hands on my girl," Sirius growled, glaring at the dress.

"That's ridiculous. Nobody would slip their hand down the back of the dress except for you, Remus, or James. Honestly," Alice muttered.

"I agree with Sirius, Ali. The back is a little bit much. What about this one, though?" Lily asked, leaning across Sirius' back to point to another dress.

Sirius tried to ignore the way her breasts felt pressed against his back, but it was damn near impossible with how tightly she'd sandwiched herself against him. He did, however, manage to swallow the groan that was attempting to push its way out of his throat, but there wasn't anything he could do about the sudden tightening of his trousers.

"Oh, I do like it. What do you think, Sirius?" Alice asked, indicating the dress they'd been discussing while he'd been struggling against his libido.

Sirius glanced at the dress, noticing that the neckline was much lower, but the obvious straps coming over the model's shoulders indicated that there was, at least, a back to this dress.

"Much better," Sirius mumbled.

"And it's the perfect color," Lily continued, settling back to finish braiding his hair.

"It is, huh? I still like you in darker shades, but I guess lavender isn't so bad," Alice said, wrinkling her nose a bit.

"What do you think?" Lily asked, tugging a bit on his hair to get his attention.

"I think you look sexy in anything, Evans," Sirius smirked.

"Spoken like a true boyfriend," Alice grinned.

"Thanks, babe," Lily giggled, kissing him sweetly.

Sirius wanted to press for more, but figured now wasn't the time to get her all hot and bothered, especially since her friend was sitting right in front of them.

"Well? What do you think?" Lily asked with a flourish.

Alice looked up at Sirius and immediately started giggling.

"Oh, he looks so cute!" Alice laughed.

"I do pretty good work, huh?" Lily asked, scooting around to view him from the front.

"What'd you do, Evans?" Sirius asked, reaching up to finger his hair experimentally.

"It's called a French braid. I think it looks rather nice," Lily said, grinning wide.

Sirius poked and prodded at the bumps on top of his head, following the line until he came to the end halfway down his back.

"Bloody hell. What'd you do to my hair?" Sirius gaped, pulling the braid around to stare at it in wonder.

"I just lengthened it a bit to give me more to work with," Lily shrugged, taking the braid from him and throwing it back over his shoulder.

Sirius glanced over at the single mirror they had on the back of the door and groaned.

"I look like a girl."

"I don't think anyone could mistake you for being a girl, Sirius," Alice giggled, nearly falling off the bed from laughter.

"Yeah. You're much too masculine," Lily agreed, her hand brushing across his chest.

"I'll never hear the end of this. If Moony and Prongs see…" Sirius trailed off.

"I told you, we're going to do their hair, too," Alice piped up from her place across the foot of the bed.

"And theirs will be much, much worse," Lily promised with an evil grin.

"They'd better be otherwise I'll never live this down," Sirius said.

He laid on the "woe is me" thick, enjoying the way his girl and her best mate collapsed in laughter. It was worth having Lily braid his hair and make him look like a bloody girl if it got them to relax and forget, even if for only a moment, about the attack.

He had to remind himself of this when, a few minutes later, James, Remus, and Peter came in to find Alice trying to paint his toenails.

"What's, uh, going on here?" Remus asked, unable to completely hide his smirk.

"Nothing," Sirius said at the same time Lily piped in with, "Girls' night."

"Girls' night, huh, Padfoot?" James snickered.

"Sod off," Sirius grumbled.

"No, no, mate. Really. You look very nice," James continued.

"Yeah. Love the hair, Pads," Remus snorted.

"You do? Oh, good! Wait till you see what we've got planned for you," Alice grinned, jumping off the bed and blocking their escape route.

Sirius grinned as his best mates attempted to weasel their way out of getting their hair done and their toenails painted.

"No, no, no. Come on, now. If you want to be in here, you have to adhere to 'Girls' Night' rules," Alice insisted, pushing them towards the bed.

"Uh, I really don't want to be in here, so can I leave?" Peter asked.

"Nope! You're stuck with us, too," Lily said happily.

Sirius helped the girls capture the other three Marauders, laughing as they tied the three together in the center of the bed. Lily got busy with their hair, Alice attacked their toes, and Sirius sat back to watch their torture.

By the time the girls declared Girls' Night to be over, James' hair was done up what Lily had called a "Fish Tail" braid, Remus sported a traditional braid, and Peter had braided pigtails. All four of them had toenails the color of Lily's hair, something Alice was quite pleased with as she put the finishing touches on Peter's pinky toe.

"There. All done," Alice grinned as Lily giggled nearby.

"Bloody hell," James groaned.

"We look ridiculous," Peter moaned.

"Speak for yourself," Sirius laughed.

"Alright, now. You've had your fun. Let us out," Remus told the girls.

"Only if you promise not to mess up all our hard work," Lily bargained.

"How about you let us out of these ropes and I don't use them to tie you up when I spank you later?" Remus countered.

Nobody missed the way Lily's entire body flushed at his words and Sirius had a sudden vision of Lily all trussed up for their pleasure, unable to do anything but take what they gave her.

"Why are you going to spank me?" Lily asked, though she did move forward to unbind them.

"Because you should have called for us right away. As soon as the first one spoke, you should have had your mirror out, calling one of us to come for you. Instead, you left us to worry about you while Frank took you to the Hospital Wing and then proceeded to put us off so that we were left worrying about what had happened. You need to learn to trust us to take care of you and until you've mastered it, you can expect punishment," Remus told her, his voice darker than normal.

"It's not her fault, though. And what gives you the right to 'punish' her?" Alice asked angrily.

Sirius groaned, though no one looked at him. If there was one thing he'd learned about Remus over the years it was that he hated being questioned about the way he treated his submissives. And there was no doubt about it, Lily was definitely a sub.

"I have the right because she is mine. She belongs to me. Her body is mine to do with what I want. The only person who has any right to stop me, is Lily, but only after she has been fully informed and understands what will happen if she says 'no'," Remus said, his voice darker than anything Alice or Lily had heard before.

Alice stared at Remus in a kind of awed fear. Remus didn't back down, looking slightly ridiculous with his hair in a braid and his toes painted red, but the stare he fixed on Alice was no less threatening for it.

Finally, after a measureable amount of silence, Lily moved forward, separating her friend and Remus.

"It's okay, Ali. I trust Remus not to really hurt me," Lily murmured.

Sirius noted she looked a little worried, no doubt in regards to whether or not Alice would be able to handle this aspect of Lily's new life.

Alice seemed to realize it, too.

"Oh, stop looking at me like that. You know I love you and I know none of them would ever hurt you. I just… I want to make sure they're not taking advantage," Alice said.

"All Lily has to do at this point is say 'no' and we stop. After I've started training her, we'll implement a safe word for her. But you need to realize that some of the things we do to Lily are not going to be easy for you to accept, but they are things she needs. Respect our relationship and we won't have a problem," Remus warned.

"Just so long as you don't hurt her, we won't," Alice insisted, glaring at Remus.

Remus smirked and countered, "Oh, she's going to hurt, but I promise she'll enjoy every second of it."

Sirius could sense Lily's indecision from where he sat against the pillows. She obviously wanted to experiment with Remus, but was reluctant to do anything to upset her friend. Luckily, Remus sensed the problem as well and quickly moved to resolve it for their worried redhead.

"I will give you a chance to leave, Alice, if you want, but Lily will be receiving her punishment tonight. You can go downstairs into the Common Room with Peter while I administer her spankings, or you can stay where you are and see for yourself that I would never do anything to hurt Lily," Remus offered.

Alice looked between Lily and Remus, before softly asking, "Lily?"

"It doesn't matter to me, Alice. It's your decision," Lily said, meeting Alice's gaze before draping herself across Remus' lap.

Alice bit her lip and shifted uncertainly, but Sirius' gaze was fastened to where Remus' hands were pushing up Lily's over-long shirt inch by inch.

"Last chance, Alice," Remus warned.

Alice debated for about a millisecond longer before saying, "I'll stay."

Remus focused completely on Lily after instructing Peter and Alice to move to their fellow Marauder's bed. He didn't want anyone but himself, Sirius, and James to be near Lily when she reacted to her punishment. She would learn that her pain and pleasure came at their hands and theirs alone.

"You don't get a safe word tonight, sweetheart. Trust me to know how far to push you and I promise to reward you for it later," Remus murmured, his hands running over Lily's pert ass experimentally.

He removed her underwear and tangled them around her ankles, creating a makeshift binding. Remus could sense the others in the room watching and indicated for James and Sirius to come closer. Knowing what he wanted, the other two placed their hands on Lily's body. James tangled his fingers in her hair while Sirius' traced patterns across the backs of her knees.

"It's to the count of twenty, Lily. I'll count for you tonight," Remus said, wanting to ease her into punishment.

"Yes, Sir," Lily murmured and he was pleased to know she'd done her homework about dominance and submission.

Without giving her time to tense up, Remus smacked her ass three times in quick succession. Lily cried out in surprise and jerked under their hands, but all three of them kept her from going anywhere as Remus counted, "One, two, three."

The next series of spankings alternated between the cheeks of her ass and across her thighs.

"Four, five, six, seven."

He made sure to hit in random spots, showing no favoritism to any one area to avoid permanent damage.

"Eight, nine, ten."

Her ass was turning a nice shade of pink by that point and Remus could no longer hide the state of his arousal.

"Eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen."

She whimpered and moaned into the bedding, her arousal obvious only to himself, Sirius, and James as Alice and Peter sat facing James' back.

"Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen."

He waited, drawing out the last one, marveling at the way her body was limp and languid after a simple spanking.

"Twenty."

Her ass was red and shiny at this point as Remus pressed his hand against the heated flesh. They gave her time to gather her wits about her, the three of them murmuring soothing words to her. Remus complimented her, telling her how good she had done, how proud he was of her as he rubbed the area his hand had just abused.

After about fifteen minutes, Lily was able to push herself up to meet Remus' gaze.

"How'd I do?" Lily asked, her voice husky.

"You were perfect, sweetheart," Remus assured her, kissing her sweetly.

She tried to deepen the kiss, no doubt a result of the curse taking effect, but Remus pulled away.

"Please, Remus. I need it," Lily pouted, her pupils dilated in her aroused state.

"Not tonight," Remus denied her.

"Please," Lily whimpered, her nails clawing at his shirt.

"Next time you're being cornered by a bunch of assholes, I want you to remember this feeling and know that if you don't call us immediately, it'll happen again," Remus told her.

"James? Sirius?" Lily pleaded, turning to the other two.

"Oh, no, babe. We're with Remus on this one," James said with a shake of his head.

"And it's bloody uncomfortable. You better call us next time Lily or Remus won't be the only one punishing you," Sirius grumbled, shifting uncomfortably.

"Alice? Can you get one of her potions to take the edge off?" Remus requested, knowing she wouldn't be able to calm down on her own.

Alice's hands shook as she thrust the bottle into his line of sight and Remus had to wonder if it was from shock or her own desire.

"Are you alright?" Remus asked as Sirius and James took care of Lily.

"Fine," Alice squeaked.

"If you have any questions…" Remus trailed off.

"No, no. Uh, not tonight," Alice assured him hurriedly.

"You're not going to hurt her, are you?" Remus asked, only slightly worried.

"Never. She's my best friend. I don't care what she needs and, now that I know you won't actually hurt her, I don't care what you do to fulfill those needs," Alice said defiantly.

Remus nodded in understanding, looking over to where Sirius and James were easing Lily into bed despite her continued attempts to have them fuck her.

"I don't know if you want to share a bed with her tonight, but you're still welcome to stay. Take my bed, if you want. The rest of us will bunk with Lily," Remus offered.

"Thanks, Remus," Alice said, moving to do just that.

Remus went to help his friends control their overly hormonal girlfriend, smirking when she pouted up at him.

"It aches."

"I know it does, sweetheart, and I promise we'll take care of it tomorrow. For now, sleep."

With a quiet word, Remus sent her into a deep, dreamless sleep.

"She did good for a beginner," Sirius commented as they enlarged the bed to fit all three of them.

"She did good, period," Remus countered.

"Merlin, she better not have us do this again. I'm so fucking hard I could beat a bludger," James groaned, shifting his cock inside his trousers.

"You're not the only one, mate," Sirius sighed.

"Stop your bellyaching and let's get some sleep," Remus insisted, crawling into bed beside their girl.

"You sleep with her, Prongs. I'll sleep as Padfoot at the foot of the bed," Sirius offered, transforming before anyone could comment.

He hopped up onto the bed, circled three times, and settled down with his nuzzle over Lily's feet.

With a large yawn, James climbed into bed as well, tucking himself against Lily's back. Remus watched as Lily shifted to align her body more fully with James', letting out a soft sigh as his arms wrapped around her. Remus pressed close against her front, effectively sandwiching her between them and drifted off to sleep with thoughts of her red ass floating through his mind.


	10. Chapter 10: A Marauder's Plot

**Chapter Ten**

Teeth and fingers tortured her breasts and pussy, making her moan in wanton delight. Messy black hair hovered over her left breast while shaggy brown hair tickled her right. Long black locks tenderly caressed her thighs as a tongue licked between her legs. The dream was delicious, as most of her dreams had been. Going to bed horny meant her dreams all revolved around her three men and the various form of pleasure they could give her.

Her stomach clenched as Dream Sirius nibbled at her clit, a single digit pressing inside her, easily finding her g-spot. Dream Remus sucked punishingly on her nipple, his teeth biting into the sensitive flesh with just the right amount of pain. In contrast, Dream James was laving her other nipple with soft flicks of his tongue. All three were driving her crazy in their own way, but when Dream Sirius added a second finger and began fucking her with those two glorious digits, she came undone, crying out as Dream Remus and Dream James suckled her breasts eagerly.

With a jerk, Lily came awake, her cries echoing around the Gryffindor boys dormitory. Strong hands gripped her hips as Sirius eagerly finished what he'd started while she was still sleeping. Remus and James, however, were nowhere to be found.

"S-Sirius?" Lily stuttered as he relentlessly attacked her pussy.

"Hmm?"

Oh, the vibrations from his hum sent shivers up and down her spine. Her whole body quaked as he continued to lick and suck her swollen lower lips.

"Where… What are you… Oh, Merlin," Lily groaned as she felt another orgasm approaching.

"Mmm-hmm," Sirius moaned as he pushed his tongue inside her, his thumb busy working her clit.

Lily arched into him, her fingers tangling in his jet black hair as he brought her higher and higher. Just as she was about to fall over that magnificent precipice, he pulled away.

"Nooo," Lily moaned, clawing at him desperately.

"Shh. I want us to go together, Evans. Don't hold out on me," Sirius said, a devilish smile lighting up his handsome face.

"Yesss," Lily hissed, wrapping her legs around his waist to pull him closer.

Sirius chuckled at her eagerness, but Lily didn't care. Merlin, his cock was _right there_ and she was primed to go off at the slightest encouragement. Incapable of waiting, she arched up to rub against him, sighing happily as his cock slid against her pussy lips.

"Oh, fuck, Evans, you don't play fair," Sirius groaned, burying his face in her neck and sucking the sensitive skin there.

"You play too damn slow," Lily grumbled, dragging her nails down his back.

Sirius growled and bucked his hips against her in response, making her cry out as his cock rubbed right against her engorged clit. She whimpered when he repeated the motion, his hips moving in a slow and steady imitation of what she desperately needed.

"Stop teasing me," Lily demanded breathlessly.

"I'm just repaying the favor," Sirius said.

Before she could ask what he meant, he positioned himself at her entrance and thrust in with one hard go. Everyone in Hogwarts probably heard her scream as he bottomed out.

"Do you know how fucking hard it was sleeping at Padfoot last night? Every breath I took, I could smell your pussy dripping for us. I could smell it when you came in your dreams and I could hear the quiet little moans that James and Remus slept right through," Sirius told her, thrusting in a slow and steady rhythm that was driving her insane.

"I'm- _oh, shit_- sorry," Lily gasped as he rubbed his pelvis against her clit.

"Not yet you aren't, but you will be," Sirius warned.

He kept that slow pace the entire time, despite her pleas that he go faster, fuck her harder. Every drag of his cock along her inner walls was pure heaven and hell rolled into one, fanning the flames higher while giving very little hope of quenching them.

"Sirius! _Please_?" Lily whimpered, clawing desperately at his back and shoulders.

"Since you asked so nicely," Sirius smirked.

Finally, he began to take her in earnest. His hips snapped against hers at an almost brutal pace, every thrust pushing her further and further up on the bed. The headboard slapped against the stone wall, the loud _thud, thud, thud_ timed perfectly with Lily's soft cries, the only sound she was capable of at that moment.

The pressure was becoming unbearable. Everything within her seemed to tighten in preparation. Her body stretched like a bow off the bed, her hips frantically meeting Sirius' as his hand slipped between them.

"Oh, fuck! SIRIUS!" Lily screamed.

It felt as though her entire body had imploded, focused completely on that one spot between her legs. Sirius roared above her, but she only vaguely heard him, too wrapped up in her own orgasm. The pleasure was never-ending, her body clenching around Sirius over and over until everything went black.

"Damn, I'm good."

Lily came awake slowly, blinking in the dim light of the dormitory. Sirius' grinning face hovered over hers, his hair hanging in disarray about his face. Shifting slightly, Lily felt his cock throb twice inside her and realized she must have blacked out.

"Alright, there, Evans?" Sirius asked, cocky grin firmly in place.

"Shut up, Sirius," Lily groaned.

"Ah, come on. Don't be like that, now. Just a minute ago, you were screaming my name in ecstasy," Sirius cajoled.

"That was before you decided to brag about your sexual prowess after knocking me out. Which, by the way, I'm pretty sure is Remus' fault, not yours," Lily said.

"How's that? I'm the one still lodged inside that tight pussy of yours, Evans," Sirius reminded her unnecessarily.

She could still feel him throb through her occasional spasm.

"Remus is the one who got me all worked up last night and left me hanging. If he hadn't built me up so high, I wouldn't have been so desperate this morning. So, you can just thank Remus for the awesome sex when we see him later," Lily said with what was sure to be a superior grin.

"I'm not thanking Moony for sex, Evans," Sirius practically growled.

"Well, I'll thank him, then. Because it was amazing," Lily smiled right before licking a line from his collarbone to his chin.

"Merlin's wand! If you keep that up, Evans, we won't be leaving anything soon."

"No, no. That won't do. We have to get up and go find the others," Lily insisted.

Sirius groaned and buried his face in her neck, clearly not liking the idea of getting out of bed. Lily fought not to laugh as she stroked her fingers through his hair in consolation.

"You know, if we get up now, we might have just enough time to enjoy a shower together before meeting the others for breakfast," Lily told him in an off-handed manner.

Before she could so much as blink, he had her out of bed and hurrying towards the shower. She gasped as he slid from inside of her, immediately feeling their mingled come sliding along her thighs.

"We've already missed breakfast, Evans, but I think I can keep you occupied until lunch."

* * *

The Common Room was pretty crowded when Lily and Sirius finally made their way downstairs. It seemed that the unfortunate weather had sent people scurrying indoors. A group of third years were playing a game of exploding snap in the corner, the occasional boom rattling the table. Some seventh year girls were huddled over their text books near the fireplace, furiously writing. A few first years came stumbling through the portrait hole as Sirius led Lily out.

Lily heard one of them whisper, "That's the girl everyone's talking about."

She could feel them all watching her as she and Sirius stepped through the portrait hole. Sirius' arm came around her shoulders, pulling her close as he turned to glare at the first years.

"Don't," she whispered when he would have said something.

"Nosey little gits," Sirius snarled under his breath.

"Leave it alone. It's not their fault everyone's talking," Lily insisted.

It was clear that Sirius was not going to leave alone. As he continued to lead her towards the Great Hall, he glared at everyone they passed, whether they were whispering about Lily or not. She made sure to keep a firm grip on his arm the entire way, their fingers intertwined. It was easy for her to ignore the stares they received, her focus being solely on keeping Sirius calm. She did _not _want to see one of the infamous Marauder explosions over something so ridiculous.

She turned to go into the Great Hall, but Sirius pulled her in the opposite direction, towards a set of stairs leading down to where she knew the Hufflepuff Common Room to be.

"Sirius, what-?"

"They're waiting for us in the kitchens," Sirius said, without looking back.

She had to jog to catch up with him. He seemed to reside he was walking too fast and slowed his steps to match hers. She rubbed his arm gratefully, leaning her head against his shoulder as they walked.

It was quieter along the stairs. They didn't meet anyone as they walked down on flight and turned towards a portrait of a giant bowl of fruit. Looking to the left and right to make sure no one was watching before reaching up and tickling the pear. Lily gasped as it squirmed and giggled before forming a doorknob.

"After you," Sirius said with a slight bow.

Giving him a curious look, Lily climbed through the portrait hole and into a brightly lit room, easily as big as the Great Hall above. Five tables were set up identical to the House and professors tables. Mountains of pots and pans lined the walls and a giant fireplace along the only free wall. House-elves scurried to and fro, obviously hard at work making sure lunch went off without a hitch. A group of comfy chairs sat around the fireplace, almost all of them occupied by the other Marauders, Alice, and Frank. Mildly surprised to find the five all together, Lily momentarily forgot about where they were.

"What're you lot doing down here?" Lily asked as Sirius sat in one of the empty chairs, pulling her into his lap as he went.

"Waiting on you, of course. Took you long enough," Alice teased good-naturedly.

"Sorry. We had a bit of a lie in," Sirius smirked.

"I'll say," Peter muttered.

"Stuff it, Wormtail. We've got more important things to discuss than what Evans and I have been up to this morning," Sirius said.

Immediately, all four Marauders leaned forward as if sensing a good plot about to be planned. Since Lily was sitting in Sirius' lap, she was pushed forward as well. Frank and Alice mimicked them, leaning forward as well so that they were all as close as possible without being on top of each other.

"It's time to set this school straight on the matter of our relationship with Evans," Sirius began.

"Sirius!" Lily scolded, not liking this train of thought at all.

"Hush, Evans. I ignored it on the way down here, but we're not going to sit back and let the whole school talk trash about our girl. Now, you've got two options: sit here and let your men plot against the school or take Alice and go to the library for a few hours. Your choice," Sirius said.

Lily looked between James and Remus, both of whom were adamantly watching her.

"You don't have to stay, sweetheart," Remus told her.

James gave a small smile as he said, "Plausible deniability, babe."

Knowing it would be better all-around if she and Alice spent a few hours in the library, Lily nodded once before hoping off Sirius' lap. She turned back around to give him a swift kiss goodbye, then moved to give James and Remus the same treatment. All three made her want to linger just a bit longer, but eventually she managed to disentangle herself from them.

"Come, Ali. We can finish that Charms homework," Lily suggested.

"Oh, thank Merlin! I hate silent spells," Alice groaned, standing eagerly.

"I think I'll come along, too. Sorry, mates, but I'm no good at planning pranks," Frank apologized with a shrug.

They all waved Frank off, their minds clearly already on their plotting.

"Come on. We've already lost them," Lily grinned, leading the other two away from the Marauders.

"Wait a minute, Lily."

She turned to find Remus waving over one of the many house-elves. A female, as far as Lily could tell, scurried over, her wiry ear hair bouncing in her eagerness.

"Yes, Master Remus?" the elf squeaked.

"Prepare Lily a few things to take with her to the library," Remus requested.

"Right away, sir!"

"I expect you to eat it all, Lily. I'll know if you don't," Remus warned her.

"Yes, sir," Lily said with a small smile.

She took the rather large bundle the house-elf gave her, her eyes wide as she contemplated how on earth she was going to eat it all. Remus gave her a knowing smirk before turning back to take his seat with the others.

"Come on, Lily," Alice urged, pulling her towards the portrait hole.

The three of them clambered through and Lily set to work eating the small mound of food the house-elf had given her. It was mostly cheeses, grapes, and a few pieces of bread. Nothing too substantial, but enough to make sure she could last until dinner. As Frank and Alice told her about the whispers in the Great Hall that morning, Lily nibbled on her food, humming nonsensically when necessary. Other than that, she allowed her mind to wander, thinking back on the previous night and the following morning.

She knew the curse was largely to blame for her impassioned responses to Remus' discipline, but Lily thought she might have enjoyed exploring the different sides of passion even without the curse. She had genuinely enjoyed the dominant side of Remus, had felt so beautiful and powerful under his talented hands. She was already eager to learn more, to please him again.

"Lily? Are you still with us?"

"Hmm?" Lily hummed, blinking at Alice.

"Guess not," Frank muttered with a grin.

"You need to finish eating before we go into the library. Madam Pince will freak if we even try to go in with food," Alice reminded her.

"Right. Sorry," Lily said, stuffing a whole piece of bread in her mouth.

"So, how bad do you think it's going to be?" Alice asked.

"Bad. The worst the school has ever seen," Frank predicted.

"No way. I mean, they won't do anything _too_ horrible… would they?" Lily asked, nibbling her bottom lip.

"Are you kidding? All three of those boys are completely enraptured with you. We'll be lucky if they don't murder the boys who tried to take you," Alice said.

Not knowing what to say in response, Lily popped the last grape into her mouth and nodded towards the library. It was surprisingly full considering it was a Saturday, but Lily figured the rain was to blame. She was not at all surprised by the looks she received as she, Alice, and Frank made their way to a table in the back.

"Merlin, it's like being with a celebrity," Alice whispered.

"Or a leper," Lily muttered.

"Don't worry, ladies. None of them are brave enough to say anything to our faces. I'm fairly confident we can survive whispers behind our backs," Frank said reassuringly.

"It's not the whispers I'm worried about. It's the curses," Lily told him, glancing around to see heads at all the nearby tables quickly returning to their books.

"No one's going to curse you, Lily. Well, at least not again," Alice amended quickly.

"Just leave the school to the Marauders. They'll see to it no one goes after you," Frank insisted.

Lily gave a determined nod, opening her school books.

"Right, Alice. Let's get started on those charms."

* * *

Lily was amazed at the subtlety of the Marauder's prank on the boys who had cornered her and Alice. It didn't become apparent until a few days into the following school week. The three boys walked into the Great Hall looking decidedly uncomfortable. Well, they didn't so much walk as they did waddle. It was clear from their facial expressions that they were in pain and when a young girl with the top three buttons of her shirt undone walked by, they all three proceeded to wince dramatically.

"Oh, Merlin. Look!" Alice hissed, elbowing Lily in the side as she pointed.

None of which was necessary as the three boys had fallen into each other, gasping in obvious pain, their hands cupping evident erections. The entire hall, including the staff, was unable to do much else but stare as the three boys proceeded to thrust their hips in an effort to seek some form of release. This went on for several minutes before they all seemed to reach the pinnacle at the same time, screaming in agony.

Like it had been some strange, rehearsed dance, the three fell into a pile, panting heavily, their erections still obvious through their trousers. If anything, they seemed to have grown _larger_.

It was only then, as Lily watched with the rest of the hall in utter amazement, that the Marauder's plot became clear and Lily was once again blown away at the genius of the four boys beside her.

"Oh my God. What did you do?" Lily asked in a frantic whisper, still staring at the writhing pile of limbs.

"Are you sure you want to know, babe?" James asked.

She turned around to find all four of them looking very satisfied with themselves. Sirius was showing a lot of teeth as he half grinned, half snarled at the boys. Remus simply smiled serenely, looking as though he was completely at peace with the world around him. And James was watching her, a great big smile on his face.

"I mean, it's pretty obvious what we did, isn't it? I have to say, I wasn't really expecting a show, but I'm glad we got it," James said, glancing over to where the professors were just now making their way to the boys.

"How long will it last?" Alice asked excitedly.

"Until the professors figure out a way to counter it," Sirius practically growled.

"Won't that cause some sort of permanent damage?" Lily asked, becoming slightly worried.

"That's kind of the point, Evans."

"Be glad we managed to convince Moony not to murder them," James added.

"Remus!" Lily gasped.

"They touched you, Lily," Remus said simply.

"And for that you think they deserve to die?" Lily asked.

As if a switch had been flipped, Remus nearly leapt across the table to get in her face. She gasped as a hand gripped her hair at the base of her skull, dragging her forward. His nonchalance was replaced with a thunderous snarl as he responded, "Yes."

Over the bowl of scrambled eggs, Remus dominated her in front of everyone. He forced her to submit to his will as his tongue plundered her mouth. She was powerless to do anything but let him have his way. Her body became languid under his care and she sighed as his teeth nipped at her bottom lip.

With a strangled growl, Remus ripped his lips from her, though he kept them in their awkward position over breakfast.

"You belong to me. To James and Sirius. You are ours and _nobody_ is allowed to touch you without our permission. Everything you are, Lily, belongs to us. _We_ _own_ _you_."

She knew that she should feel outraged by those words, should rebel against the notion of being owned by anyone, but she couldn't find it in her. Because she heard what Remus didn't say.

They may own her, but she owned them too. And owning her did not mean that they would leash her. Belonging to these three men meant that she was free. Free to make mistakes and to fail because they would be there to help her, to take the blame if necessary. They would support her through every day of her life because she was the most precious thing in theirs.

It wasn't about control. It was about support and protection and togetherness.

It was about love.


	11. Chapter 11: Love Is in the Air

**Chapter Eleven**

The coming of October brought a deeper chill to the air. The students were spending more time inside the warm castle than outside on the grounds. On the rare warm days, it seemed as though everyone in the castle poured outside to congregate in the sunshine. Unfortunately, these days became fewer and fewer as Halloween neared.

Many of the sixth year students were finding their free time spent in the library or in their Common Rooms, usually bent over their textbooks. The mounds of homework had increased drastically from fifth year and even the Marauders were seen to be frantically scribbling out essays and homework assignments.

The staff accredited this change in demeanor to the fact that the Marauders were now spending a great deal of time with Lily Evans, Alice Prewett, and Frank Longbottom, all of whom were considered to be model students. The boys in question would not deny that hanging around the three did play a large part in keeping them in line, but they gave most of the credit to Lily.

Their last prank had landed them in detention every night for an entire month. She had done fairly well without them for the first two weeks, but Thursday of the third week, they returned to the Common Room to find Alice waiting for them. One look at her face and the three boys had raced to their dormitory where they had found Lily, writhing naked upon Remus' bed in utter desperation. It had taken all night to calm her down and the four of them had been completely exhausted the following day in classes, resulting in poor performances. James' vinegar had actually exploded when he attempted to turn it to wine in Transfiguration and Remus had confused the inferi with dementors in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Sirius and Lily had fallen asleep on each other in Charms, only to be woken by Professor Flitwick casting the aguamenti charm at them as a demonstration to the rest of the class.

After that rather disastrous day, the Marauders had turned over a new leaf. At least in the eyes of the professors. They knew they couldn't be caught pranking students if they were to take care of Lily. They hadn't hung up their pranking hats so to speak, but they were trying to behave themselves as much as possible.

And in the event that someone desperately needed pranking, like in the case of Armando Malfoy, they made sure at least one of them escaped blame so that, if detention was given, they would be able to take care of Lily. As it was, they hadn't gotten detention for the Malfoy incident. This was largely due to the fact that James had used his dad's invisibility cloak and, under their professor's encouragement, had been practicing non-verbal magic. Malfoy hadn't known who to blame for trout in his pants or the jellyfish on his head.

Still, the point was that the Marauders had, for the most part, stopped pranking and turned their attention to studying and Lily.

And sometimes, as was the case after a particularly gloomy Herbology class, they combined the two.

It was just the four Marauders and Lily, Alice having made her excuses to avoid the library. They had started the afternoon busy at work on a Transfiguration essay, but about halfway through, James had become distracted by the way Lily kept running her fingers through her hair. The fiery strands seem to reflect the candlelight of the darkened room, creating a glow about her. Every movement caused the flames of her hair to dance, further enrapturing James until he completely forgot about Transfiguration all together.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but at some point she became aware of his stare. The blush that stained her cheeks was adorable in its innocence and James felt his stomach clench almost painfully at the sight.

"What?" Lily hissed, trying to hide her smile.

"Nothing," James answered quickly.

"Why are you staring at me?" Lily asked.

"Because you're the prettiest thing in here," James told her, causing her to blush harder.

Sirius chuckled softly beside him and Remus shifted slightly in his chair, their subtle and mostly silent ways of agreeing with him.

"Thank you, but stop it. It's distracting," Lily mumbled.

"Stop being pretty, then," James demanded with a wide grin.

Fighting hard to keep from smiling, Lily shook her head and went back to work. James shared a grin with Sirius before returning to his own essay, which was a lot shorter than those of his study partners. Transfiguration was his best subject, though, so he wasn't too concerned. By the time they were ready to leave the library and head off to dinner, he had almost completed his essay. Lily had finished hers first and had moved on to helping Peter with his. As the five of them packed up, Lily reassured Wormtail that she would help him more once they got back to the Common Room.

As they gathered the last of their books and quills together, James grabbed Lily's bag and swung it over his shoulder to join his.

"James, I can carry my own bag," Lily said, moving to take it from him.

"I know you _can_, Lils, but why would you _want_ to?" James asked as he jumped out of her reach.

"Because you look silly carrying two of them," Lily tried.

"Really, babe? When have I ever cared what other people think?" James asked, grabbing her hand.

"Well, let's think about this, shall we? How about every time you messed up your hair? Every time you rode your broom? Every time you showed off in class? Oh, and every time you hexed someone? I'm pretty sure you cared what _I_ thought, at least, whenever you did that stuff," Lily said as she looped her arm through Remus' on her other side.

"She's got you there, Prongs," Remus chuckled.

"Yeah, but you're not just anybody. You're Lily Evans, my girl. Of course I'm going to care what you think, but that has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not I care what the rest of the school thinks," James insisted.

"You care what they think about me," Lily reminded him.

"Again. It's you, babe. You are my one exception. Well, you and the Marauders. But that's it. Everyone else can go to hell for all I care," James said.

"You think you're so tough," Lily giggled, linking their fingers.

"I _am _tough, babe."

"No, you're sweet. And you do care what others think about you, otherwise you'd be an outright toe-rag to everyone in this school," Lily said.

James gave her a highly skeptical look and she laughed before explaining herself.

"Seriously, James. If you didn't care what anyone thought of you, you would be a lot worse. You never go over the line, you're always on good terms with the professors, you make sure other people show them respect, you make sure to do well in your classes, you help people who need it, and you're always quick to defend those who can't defend themselves."

All four of the Marauders were stunned silent as they stared at the redhead between them. A few months ago, James would have thought that speech meant that he was dreaming because Lily Evans would never, _never_, say that sort of thing to him, but here he was. Here _she_ was. And he was pretty sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Merlin, Evans. I thought you hated James. When did you take the time to notice all that?" Sirius asked, breaking the silence.

"I never hated him. I just… wanted him to grow up a bit," Lily said slowly.

"And have I succeeded?" James asked, genuinely curious.

"I'll say. You've loved me since first year, James, but you share me with two of your best mates because you know I need it. You were willing to sacrifice what you wanted to give me what I needed. I don't think you could have done anything more selfless than that," Lily told him, tears shimmering in her green eyes.

"Merlin, Lily," James groaned, pulling her away from Remus and into his arms.

He kissed her with everything he had, wanting her to know that he would do anything, be anything, for her. She was his entire world and he would go to his grave loving her. She made up the best part of him, made him want to be a better man, and he told her so without a single word passing between them.

When he pulled away, he was surprised to see that her eyes were still clear. The passion that was usually so quick to claim her seemed to have remained below the surface. From the dazzling smile she sent him, he knew she was thrilled. As much as he, Remus, and Sirius loved having sex with her, he knew she craved intimate moments that didn't lead to the bedroom. To finally succeed in having one meant that she was gaining control of the curse.

"I love you, Lily," James whispered.

"I love you, too, James."

* * *

"_I love you, too, James._"

The words seemed to echo inside his head, sounding again and again. He felt as though he'd fallen down a deep hole and there was no hope of resurfacing.

Lily had told James she loved him.

Lily loved James.

But she didn't love him.

He looked over at Remus, wondering if Lily had told him she loved him. The look on his mate's face said it all.

Lily didn't love Remus, either.

* * *

She seemed to realize something was wrong, concern etched across her beautiful face as she looked between him and Remus.

"Sirius? Remus? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," they answered in unison.

He would not ask for her love. If she didn't feel it for him, he would not beg for it.

Sure, he would go on loving her and he knew he couldn't walk away, but it would be like a knife in the chest every time.

Because she didn't love him.

Remus saw the moment Lily realized what was wrong. Her beautiful emerald eyes widened and the guiltiest of looks came across her face.

"Oh, no. No, no, no. Sirius, Remus, I-"

"Please, Lily. Don't," Remus cut her off.

"No. You have to listen to me," Lily tried.

"You don't have to explain anything to us. We knew emotions might play into it and we knew you might not come to love us all. It's okay," Remus assured her, though it felt like he was carving out his own heart as he said it.

"But I do! I love all three of you!" Lily insisted, taking his and Sirius' hands.

"Don't say it just because you feel guilty, Lily. We'll still be here. We're not going anywhere," Remus said softly.

He didn't have to look at Sirius to confirm that his thoughts were correct. He knew Sirius was in just as deep as he was.

"But I'm not! I do love you! Please, you have to believe me," Lily practically sobbed.

He remembered the day James had come back to the dormitory, telling them Lily had said she loved them all. Remus had felt a hope unlike anything he'd ever felt before, the idea that Lily could love him swelling within his chest until he thought it would pop. He had waited every day after that for her to say the words, but she had remained silent. He wanted to believer her now, but he didn't know if she meant it and he couldn't believe her only to find out later that she didn't mean it.

The blow would kill him.

"Please, Remus. I do. I love you so much. I love everything about you. How hard you are on me, how you bring out the best in me, how you push me beyond my limits and bring me to new heights. I love that you bring out a side of me no one else ever had, or ever _could_. You give me a freedom I'll never have with anyone else, Remus, because you aren't afraid to take control, to dominate me, to tell me that you own me and that I'm yours to do with what you will. I need that, Remus, but I love you," Lily proclaimed tearfully.

Before he could even think of a response, she had grabbed Sirius and pulled him to her. She stared him straight in the eye as she said, "I love you, Sirius. I love how you tease me and how you refuse to call me by my first name. I love that you can push my buttons and make me laugh. You're so headstrong and determined and you bring that out in me, challenging me. You definitely don't make life easy, but you're always there to protect me. You let me braid your hair, for Merlin's sake! You're willing to give me anything and everything I ask for and I know that when I'm with you, everything is going to be okay because you won't let it be anything else. You're always right there when I need you and I love you, Sirius. So, so much."

She grabbed Remus' hand and pulled the two of them to stand in front of her, shoulder to shoulder.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before now. I didn't do it on purpose. I didn't choose to tell James first, it just happened. I don't love him any more or less than I love both of you," Lily insisted.

She pulled their hands to her heart, holding them there as she choked back tears.

"My heart is big enough for all three of you. I can't believe I fell in love with you three, but I thank Merlin and God and every deity known to man that you're mine."

"Lily," Remus breathed, tangling his free hand in her hair.

"I love you, Evans. More than I thought was possible. I'll love you forever, " Sirius murmured, rubbing his forehead against her cheek.

"I love you, sweetheart. You're it for me. My one and only. Forever," Remus promised, kissing her sweetly.

James' arms appeared around her stomach, his chin resting on her shoulder as he told her, "I love you, babe. Now and forever."

"I love all of you. Forever."

Something settled over them like a blanket, surrounding them in warmth, and Remus knew their words had just bound them together in something deeper and more powerful than promises. There was magic in the air as the four of them held each other and one word seemed to echo through Remus' entire being.

_Forever._

* * *

Peter figured he had been forgotten. The way his three friends were clinging to Lily made him feel awkward. People were staring as they walked by, some of them going so far as to point. In a way, he was slightly relieved. If the people walking by were too busy watching his best friends and Lily, they weren't looking at him, left alone and forgotten again.

He found it hard not to resent Lily. She had stolen his three best friends. Now, instead of spending time pranking and goofing off, they spent time hanging around Lily and Alice. Their dormitory was no longer the sacred place of crude bodily functions and dirty laundry. He had to actually knock before entering, or else risk finding Lily and at least one of his friends in a compromising position.

But Lily made it so damn hard to dislike her.

She was sweet and patient. She didn't seem to be bothered by his endless questions or his lack of skill in all things academic. She was actually taking the time to teach him the work instead of just letting him copy her, which meant he was beginning to understand things in class as well. The other day, he had answered a question for McGonagall correctly, earning five points for Gryffindor and he owed it all to Lily.

He was contemplating just heading off to dinner by himself when they finally disbanded. Lily wiped her eyes, having been crying, and gave a shaky laugh as she straightened herself out.

"I'm sorry, Peter," Lily said and he could tell she meant it.

"Forget about it," Peter shrugged.

"Come on, Wormtail. I'll buy you a pumpkin juice," James offered, swinging an arm around his shoulders.

"Buy me dinner and we'll call it even," Peter countered.

"You drive a hard bargain, mate, but deal," James agreed with an easy smile.

Peter saw Lily between Sirius and Remus now, arm-in-arm with each of them. She shot him a wink as they continued walking.

"He hasn't even bought me dinner, yet, Peter. Tell me your secrets," Lily requested.

Yes, she made it _damn_ hard not to like her.

* * *

"So, what's going on with you and Frank?" Lily asked.

She was on her back at the foot of Alice's bed, her head hanging off the side and her feet propped up on one of the bedposts. Alice was lounging on the floor, leaning against Lily's bed. Both of them had a magazine in hand, enjoying a lazy Sunday morning.

"Nothing's going on," Alice answered.

Alice had never been a very good liar. Her voice tended to go higher and, sometimes, her hands shook. The sound of crinkling paper only confirmed what Alice's high voice had indicated.

"Oh, come on, Ali. I know you're going to see him every time you bail on me," Lily said, glaring at her friend upside-down.

Alice had the same problem Lily did. Their fair complexion made it impossible to hide a blush.

Rolling over to face her friend right-side-up, Lily swung her feet back and forth and gave her friend her best glare.

"Dish."

She managed to hold out for a full five seconds before eagerly leaning forward and spilling her secrets.

"Alright, fine. I really like him, okay?"

"I can see why. I mean, he's good-looking and sweet. He protected us from those fifth years," Lily said with a nod.

"He's amazing, Lily. Do you know he told me that I should be careful around Caradoc Dearborn at the last Prefects meeting?" Alice told her.

"Really? And what did you say?" Lily asked with a giggle.

"Oh, I waved him off. There's no way Dearborn is actually interested in me. He had just wanted to make sure I was comfortable with my rounds. The point is, Frank _thinks_ Dearborn is interested and he's _jealous_! Can you imagine?" Alice asked, joining in Lily's laughter.

"Well, he's probably more worried about you being interested in Dearborn. I mean, he is Head Boy. Not to mention, he's not too shabby in the looks department. I can see why Frank might be worried," Lily said.

"But he has to know that I like him. I've been spending all my free time with him," Alice insisted.

"Have you told him you like him?" Lily asked.

"No, but I shouldn't have to. He should know. I wouldn't spend time with him if I didn't like him," Alice said.

"Boys are dumb, Ali. You have to be blunt and tell him you like him," Lily told her vehemently.

"I can't do that! What if he doesn't feel the same way?" Alice asked softly.

"Oh, please, Ali. The boy is crazy about you. Trust me. He likes you," Lily assured her.

"How would I even go about telling him I like him?" Alice frowned, flipping a page in her magazine back and forth.

"You just walk up to him and say, 'Hey, Frank. I like you. Wanna go to Hogsmeade with me?'" Lily said, mimicking Alice's voice.

"It's not that easy," Alice denied, shaking her head.

"Yes, it is. Go for it, Alice. You deserve to be happy," Lily encouraged, reaching down to pat her friend's foot reassuringly.

Alice stared down at her magazine for a few minutes, debating whether or not to follow Lily's advice. While she waited, Lily flipped through her own magazine, marking a few outfits she liked with her wand. She had tagged quite a few outfits by the time Alice took a deep breath, drawing Lily's attention once more.

"Alright. I'll do it. But you better be ready with a pound of chocolate, fuzzy pjs, and some butterbeer in case it doesn't go well," Alice demanded.

"Deal. I'll even steal James' wireless and we can play sad songs about cheating men and broken hearts," Lily promised, causing Alice to laugh.

"See, Lily? This is why we are best friends."


	12. Chapter 12: The Spell Caster

**Chapter Twelve**

The Friday night of Halloween weekend found Lily and the four Marauders sitting around the Gryffindor fire doing very little. Peter and Sirius were, half-heartedly, playing a game of exploding snap on the floor. The cards seemed to sense that neither were really interested in playing and exploded more often than usual in fits of aggravation. James was laid across the couch, his head in Lily's lap, reading a Quidditch book and strategizing for the upcoming game against Ravenclaw. Remus was leaning against Lily's legs from his place on the floor, also reading, though his text was actually an article published in a wizarding journal about the effects of wolfsbane taming a werewolf during the full moon. The author, a wizard by the name of Damocles, was working on creating a potion that would help those effected by lycanthropy to maintain their humanness during the transformation.

There were very few words spoken between the four boys, something Lily was very appreciative of. She sat almost completely still, her head against the back of the couch, her eyes closed. The only movement, besides her gentle breathing, was the rhythmic movement of her hand through James' hair.

The other Gryffindors in the common room followed the Marauders example and maintained conversations in hushed tones, which is why the entire room jumped when the portrait hole slammed open and a winded Alice Prewett fell through.

"Lily!" Alice called excitedly, hurrying over to where her redheaded friend had just kicked Remus and nearly thrown James off the couch in her surprise.

"Merlin, Alice. What is it?" Lily asked, trying to calm her racing heart.

"I need you. Like, now!" Alice insisted, grabbing one of Lily's arms and dragging her off the couch.

"Oy! Where're you going with our girl?" Sirius demanded.

"None of your business, Black! I'll return her to you soon enough," Alice said over her shoulder and she pulled Lily from the common room.

"Lily, you have your mirror?" Remus asked from his spot on the floor.

Lily nodded once and promised, "I'll call if anything happens," right before Alice pushed her through the portrait hole and into the corridor.

"Merlin's beard, Alice. What's the rush?" Lily asked.

"Not here! The Room of Requirement," Alice hissed, hurrying down the hall.

Lily struggled to keep up with her overly eager friend, dodging students, ghosts, and professors alike as she followed the bobbing blond head. With the speed Alice was going, they made it to the seventh floor in record time. Pacing back and forth in front of the blank wall, Alice brought forth the room she wanted and, once more, dragged Lily behind her.

The room was small with a large bed in the center. Apprehensive, Lily followed Alice onto the bed and waited for some type of explanation. For a long time, Alice didn't say anything, just stared around the room as though curious about what it had produced. Just when Lily thought Alice had brought her to the room for no reason other than to sit in silence, she spoke.

"I asked the room for a place for us to talk. I didn't think much about what the setup would be like," Alice said.

"Well, it's cozy," Lily commented, looking around at the soft fabrics and small fireplace.

"Yeah."

Lily waited, but when Alice didn't seem intent on saying anything else, she pressed for the reason behind her strange behavior, asking why Alice had brought her to the Room of Requirement.

"I asked Frank to Hogsmeade," Alice blurted out, paling drastically.

"Oh, no, Ali. He said no?" Lily asked, surprised.

"He said yes," Alice told her, turning fearful blue eyes on Lily.

"Then what's the problem?" Lily asked, scooting closer to hug her friend.

"I don't know what to do, Lily! I really like Frank and I don't want to bugger up our first date," Alice confessed.

"Alice," Lily tisked. "You won't bugger it up. Just be yourself. I mean, the hardest part is over. He said yes. He obviously likes you."

"But what if he only likes me as a friend? What if we go on this date and he thinks I'm a complete bore?" Alice asked tearfully.

"Ali, that's crazy. You're not a bore, completely or otherwise. You're going to look absolutely stunning when you go with him tomorrow and he'll be so stunned by your beauty that he's not going to notice anything else. Trust me, Ali. I've seen the way he looks at you. That boy is one step short of falling head over heels for you. And tomorrow night, you're going to come back from Hogsmeade floating on cloud nine because it will have been the best date of your life. Everything is going to be fine, Alice. I know it will," Lily insisted.

"And if not, you'll have a pound of chocolate waiting for me and James' wireless ready to go, right?" Alice asked with a watery chuckle.

"Absolutely," Lily promised, pulling her in for a hug.

"Thanks, Lily," Alice sniffled.

"Anytime. Now, let's go back to the dormitory and pick out what you're going to wear," Lily grinned, pulling her towards the door.

"Oh, Merlin. I think I'm going to be sick," Alice moaned.

"No, no. None of that. We'll make sure you look drop-dead gorgeous and Frank won't be able to keep his hands off you the entire time," Lily vowed.

"Now I'm really going to be sick," Alice whimpered, clutching Lily's hand tightly.

"Alice!" Lily admonished.

"Lily, I've never done this sort of thing before. I'm allowed to be a little nervous," Alice said.

"Of course you are, but this is Frank we're talking about. He's the sweetest guy we know and he's not going to hurt you," Lily insisted.

"I know, I know. I'm just so bloody nervous," Alice grumbled.

"It's okay to be nervous. Just don't let it ruin your time," Lily reassured her.

"Right. Okay. Let's do this," Alice said with a determined nod.

"That's my girl. Cor leonis hic," Lily said as they reached the Fat Lady.

The portrait swung forward and the two girls walked through to find the Common Room in complete and utter chaos. Apparently, the Marauders had only been behaving themselves for Lily's benefit and, with her off with Alice, the four boys had proceeded to start the Halloween festivities early.

"Wow. Amazing, isn't it?" Alice shouted over the loud music produced from James' wireless.

"What? Their inability to behave themselves without supervision?" Lily asked, looking around the room for her boyfriends.

"No, that they actually behave themselves for you," Alice replied.

Lily didn't have to ask what she meant. The proof was right in front of her. The Marauders had given her what she needed without her having to ask: a quiet evening in front of the fire. They also seemed to know that she would be with Alice the remainder of the night and had taken that as their cue to begin celebrating the weekend.

She had to admit that while it was rather sweet that they had taken care of her, she was relieved that they would be expending most of their energy with the party. She knew they had been getting restless and a party seemed like the least violent way for them to let some of that pent up energy out.

"Come on. Let's go work on your outfit for tomorrow. I'll find them later," Lily said, leading Alice to the dormitory stairs.

She spotted her boys as she and Alice began climbing the stairs to the landing. They were obviously enjoying themselves, laughing at something one of them had said. She half hoped one of them would look up and see her, but none of them did. Chastising herself for being disappointed that they didn't see her, Lily followed Alice up the stairs to their dormitory.

* * *

Remus had to fight the urge to watch Lily as she walked with Alice through the Common Room and up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. He knew that if their eyes had met, he would have pulled her to his side and not let her leave for the rest of the night. As much as he wanted her with him, he knew that Alice needed her and that Lily needed time with her friend.

The past two months had been a hectic scramble of the four of them figuring out how to make their relationship work. He was surprised that jealousy hadn't played a bigger role in that struggle, but he, James, and Sirius had always been open and honest about their feelings for Lily. They probably talked more _about_ her to each other than they talked _to_ her.

It wasn't like this was the first time they had shared a girl, but it was the first time they had been committed to the same girl. It was a learning process for all of them, but Remus thought they'd been doing pretty good with Lily so far. Remus knew James and Sirius had been with her by themselves, just as he had. Nobody tried to hide it, but they also didn't sit down and compare tallies on how many times Lily had been with each of them by themselves. Trying to keep everything even would just end up driving them, and Lily, crazy.

He trusted the Marauders more than he'd ever trusted anyone. They were more than just his best friends; they were his brothers. He would die for them and he would kill for them. Anything that was in his power to give them, he would do so without a single complaint and he knew they felt the same way about him. That was why their unique relationship worked. The three of them trusted each other and they trusted Lily.

"Still with us, Moony?" Sirius asked, elbowing him sharply.

"Sorry? I was thinking," Remus said, taking a sip of his butterbeer.

"Wouldn't be thinking about that sexy little redhead that just disappeared upstairs with Alice, would you?" Sirius smirked, throwing an arm around Remus' shoulders.

"When are any of us not thinking about her?" James snorted.

"Why do we always have to talk about her? I mean, I get it. You guys are all fucking her, but bloody hell, give it a rest. Can't we have some Marauder time?" Peter grumbled darkly before downing his entire butterbeer in one go.

"Watch your fucking mouth, Peter," Sirius snarled, grabbing the shorter boy's shirt with both hands.

"You know I'm right! The three of you are so busy trying to get in her knickers all the time, we barely hang out just the four of us anymore. And now we're not even pulling pranks because of her!" Peter exclaimed angrily.

"Don't you talk about her like that!" James shouted as he moved to stand beside Sirius, his fists clenched at his side.

Peter opened his mouth, no doubt to come back with another angry retort, but Remus cut him off with a dangerously calm warning.

"I'd be careful about what you say next, Peter. Remember that all three of us are doing more than just fucking Lily, as you so indelicately put it. We own her, which means that we must protect her, even if that means protecting her from one of our best mates."

"You would ruin our friendship over a girl?" Peter sneered.

"No, but it seems that you would. Lily is a part of us now. If you can't accept that, then you can't accept us. It's your decision," Remus told him.

For a long while, Peter glared between the three of them and Remus thought he was going to walk away, break the bond that the four of them had formed when they were First Years, but eventually Peter just sighed and shook his head.

"I'm sorry, guys. I know you care about her. I just miss the way it used to be. The four of us, just hanging out, no girls," Peter mumbled dejectedly.

Sirius let Peter's shirt slip through his fists and took a step back, but James stepped forward and placed a hand on Peter's shoulder.

"I get it, Wormtail. We've been lousy friends and I'm sorry about that, but this thing with Lily is so… amazing. I mean, come on, Pete. I've been after the girl for five years and she's finally said yes. You have to forgive me for going a little crazy over it," James chuckled.

"I know. It's not that I don't like Lily, because I do. She's awesome, you know? I just don't want to lose the Marauders' way," Peter tried to explain.

Remus realized that just like Lily needed time alone with Alice, the Marauders needed time alone together. The excitement of the past two months had made spending time away from Lily very limited and it had obviously caused a strain in their other relationships.

"Hogsmeade tomorrow, gents. You know what that means?" Remus said with a sly grin.

"Zonko's," Sirius grinned, looking very roguish.

"We can stock up and see about putting together a prank for the Slytherins at the Halloween feast," Remus suggested, thinking it would be the perfect thing to bring the Marauders back together.

Peter looked between the three of them and Remus knew that this trip to Hogsmeade was exactly what was needed to re-strengthen their friendship.

Hopefully Lily wouldn't mind spending the day with Alice.

* * *

The morning of the first Hogsmeade trip of the year dawned on a world of white. During the night, a snowstorm had moved in and showed no sign of stopping as Lily made her way down to the Entrance Hall, a nervous Alice at her side.

"Are you sure this isn't too much?" Alice asked, nervously tugging at her top.

"Stop fidgeting. You look great," Lily insisted, slapping her hands away.

Her outfit was probably a little dressier than Hogsmeade deserved, but Alice looked like a knockout in the knit brown sweater, hip-hugger jeans, and suede boots. They had left her hair down to help keep her ears warm. In the bag at her side was a pair of cream-colored gloves, a matching hat, and scarf. She also had a fitted wool coat for the walk to and from the small village. The outfit was designed to keep her warm while still showing off her curves.

"Seriously, Ali. You're going to knock him dead," Lily assured her after appraising the outfit one last time.

"Okay. Okay. I can do this. It's just Hogsmeade with Frank. No big deal," Alice told herself.

"Right. Now, just keep that in mind, but I wouldn't keep saying it," Lily grinned, noticing Frank among the mass of students ready to pile out into the snow.

She was pleased to see that he had dressed up for the occasion as well, as it would put Alice more at ease.

"Oh, Merlin, there he is," Alice whimpered, stopping in her tracks.

Lily spun around to momentarily hide Alice from view. Grabbing her by the shoulders, Lily proceeded to give her the final prep-talk.

"You can do this. You look hot as hell. He's going to be blown away and the two of you are going to have an awesome time together. Just be yourself and everything will be great."

Alice took a deep breath before giving Lily a single nod to indicate that she was ready. Lily returned her nod and turned to watch as Alice walked up to Frank. The seventh year Ravenclaw spotted Alice and Lily had to fight a giggle as his jaw actually dropped. He recovered quickly, taking Alice's hand in his and kissing her cheek. Lily watched as Frank whispered something in her ear, making Alice smile and blush. The two of them left the castle hand-in-hand, Frank's head leaning towards Alice as she chatted away.

Satisfied that her friend would be alright, Lily began looking for her boys. She didn't have to wait long before an arm slid around her waist, pulling her back into a firm chest.

"Hello there, beautiful," Sirius murmured into her neck.

"Hi," Lily sighed, tilting her head to give him greater access.

"How'd you sleep?" Sirius asked.

"Alright. I missed you guys," Lily admitted, squeezing his hands.

"We missed you," Sirius said as he turned her in his arms.

She smiled up at him, happier than she had ever thought possible to be there.

"Where are the others?" Lily asked.

"They're coming. Prongs is running a little late this morning. He's a lot happier when you're there in the morning," Sirius told her, as if it was her fault James was being slow.

"Sorry, but the four of you had disappeared by the time I came back down to the Common Room," Lily said with a small shrug.

"Did you manage to calm Alice down?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, she's good. She was worried about-" Lily started, but was cut off by the arrival of the rest of the Marauders.

"Morning, babe," James greeted her with a kiss on the cheek.

Sirius released her to Remus who kissed her forehead.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Remus murmured into her hairline.

"Good morning," Lily hummed happily, nuzzling his collarbone through his shirt.

"Hey, Lily," Peter said from a few feet away, looking sheepish.

"Hi, Peter. Enjoy the party last night?" Lily asked, giving him a smile.

"Oh. Uh, yeah. It was great," Peter nodded, looking around nervously.

"Listen, babe, we were talking last night and thought it might be a good idea for you and Alice to go to Hogsmeade together. She seemed really upset last night and we thought you guys might enjoy some girl time," James said, taking her hand.

"Plus, we figure we're due for some Marauder time and we didn't think you'd want to be around for that," Sirius added.

"Oh. Sure. Right. No problem," Lily agreed brightly.

"Great. So we'll see you at dinner?" James asked, taking her hand and kissing her sweetly.

"Yeah," Lily breathed as they began walking towards the large double doors.

She watched the four of them walking away, her disappointment and satisfaction warring with each other. She was happy that the Marauders were spending time together. She understood the need to keep that connection alive and thriving. It was, without a doubt, the most important relationship to develop within Hogwarts' halls. She would never try to interfere with that, but now she was faced with spending the day by herself.

The idea of going to Hogsmeade by herself was hardly appealing, so she turned away from the entrance and walked into the Great Hall. It was largely filled with first and second years, with a few of the older students spaced throughout. Taking a seat at the Gryffindor table, Lily filled a plate with scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, and sausage. The younger Gryffindors stared at her, openly whispering to each other about her.

Wishing she had thought to bring a book with her, she hurriedly ate breakfast so she could disappear into the library or the Room of Requirement for a few hours. She could while away the hours with a good book and enjoy some time to herself.

With all the stares she was receiving, she failed to notice that someone from the other side of the Hall was staring at her more intently than all the others. At least, until she stood up and made to leave. She made it to the double doors at the same time as this person, but didn't look up until they had both made it out of the Great Hall.

Somehow, she wasn't surprised to see Severus. He looked the same as always. His long black hair was greasy and his clothes ill fitting. His trousers were too short and his cloak much too large. Still, looking at him brought a pang to Lily's heart and she struggled against the urge to bridge the gap between them.

They stood there, simply staring at each other, for a long time. Severus' hand twitched, whether to draw his wand or reach for her, Lily didn't know. She stood completely still, though, waiting to see what he would do.

Suddenly, seemingly without any provocation, his face hardened and he bared his teeth at her in a nasty sneer.

"Enjoying my curse, Evans?"

Completely confused, Lily barely managed to rasp out, "What?"

"My curse, Evans. Are you enjoying it?" Severus asked, a cocky tone to his voice that Lily had never heard before.

"What do you mean? What is that?" Lily asked, though she already suspected.

"Come now, Lily. You're supposed to be bright. Although, I can see how fucking Black, Potter, and Lupin would cause anyone to lose brain cells. Still, I had higher hopes for you," Severus said in mock disappointment.

"You… you were the one who cursed me?" Lily couldn't comprehend why Severus would have caused her this pain, but the satisfied look on his face was confirmation enough that he had.

"You never should have mocked me, Lily. I would have left you alone or we could have gone on as we had been, but you joined in with those idiots. I couldn't let that go," Severus told her, his tone no longer politely friendly.

"But why? Why would you curse me like this?" Lily asked desperately.

"Well, I had hoped to have you for myself. Your body would crave none but me and I would have you at my beck and call, ready for me whenever I desired you. Unfortunately, those fucking idiots got to you first. But, no matter. I haven't lost hope yet, my beautiful Lily," Severus said, stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers.

Frozen in shock, Lily could do nothing but stand there as his fingers trailed down to draw patterns on her collarbone.

"Enjoy Potter and his friends while you can, love. I have a feeling it won't last much longer."

With that final warning, Severus turned and disappeared down the stairs towards the dungeons, leaving Lily to wonder just what it was Severus had planned for her and the Marauders.


	13. Chapter 13: Confessions of the Cursed

**Chapter Thirteen**

It was nearly dark by the time the Marauders made it back to the Gryffindor Common Room, loaded down with Zonko's and Honeydukes products. The Common Room was already packed with the other years, soaked through from the snow if they had been in Hogsmeade or warm and dry if they had remained at the castle. The Marauders, dry from having taken the Honeydukes tunnel back to the castle, commandeered a table in the corner of the room to discuss their latest plans for their new products. Peter was all for throwing some dungbombs down the Slytherin staircase, while Remus suggested replacing all the soap in the castle with frog spawn soap, causing wider spread mayhem. Once wet, the frog eggs in the soap would develop into fully-grown frogs, causing quite a bit more problems than a few dungbombs.

Sirius argued for both and it was decided that they would distribute the soap late that night and set off the dungbombs after breakfast the following morning. The combined mayhem would be a welcome entertainment before the Halloween Feast Sunday night.

"Who's sitting out, then?" Sirius asked, leaning back in his chair.

"I'll do it. You and Prongs did it the last two times. Besides, I've got to redeem myself as a Prefect or McGonagall's going to make good on her threat to take away my badge," Remus offered with a lazy grin, thinking about how he could spend that free time to Lily teaching her the fine art of bondage.

"Excellent. We begin at midnight, gents," James decided with a mischievous grin.

"Who's going to do Moaning Myrtle's bathroom?" Peter asked nervously.

Sirius laughed and threw an arm around Peter's shoulders, saying reassuringly, "Don't worry 'bout it, Wormtail. I'll take care of ole Myrtle."

"There isn't a woman, dead or alive, who Padfoot can't charm," James said.

"Damn straight, Prongs!" Sirius whooped, slapping the table in his enthusiasm.

"Don't let Lily hear you say that or you'll find yourself cut off."

Remus turned to see Alice standing between him and James, already dressed in her pajamas. He looked over at the staircase, expecting to see Lily coming down in a similar get-up, but only saw a couple second years hurrying up to their dormitory.

"Evans would never cut me off, Prewett. Not with this body," Sirius insisted cockily.

"You wish, Black. But, anyway, where is Lily? I've been waiting for her upstairs, but she hasn't come up yet. I want to tell her about my date," Alice said with a bright smile.

Remus frowned as the legs of Sirius' chair hit the floor with a loud 'BANG'.

"What do you mean? Lily was with you at Hogsmeade," Remus said.

"No. I went with Frank. It was our first date," Alice told him with a shake of her head.

"But we saw her before we left for the village. She said she was going to spend the day with you," James insisted, somewhat frantically.

"When Frank and I left, she was still waiting for you four to come down," Alice said, a concerned frown marring her cheerful face.

"Padfoot, go get the map," Remus ordered quietly.

Without a word, Sirius darted up the stairs to search for the Marauder's Map. Remus urged Alice into the seat Sirius had vacated and took her hand in both of his.

"Now, Alice. You're sure Lily said she was waiting for us? She didn't say she had just seen us?" Remus asked, though he already suspected the answer.

"No. She was waiting for you guys. I know she was," Alice persisted.

"Okay. I just wanted to make sure. I was under the impression she would be spending the day with you, but obviously that was wrong," Remus said soothingly.

"She never actually said she would be spending the day with Alice," Peter piped up.

"What are you talking about, Peter? She told us that's what she was going to do," James said, his voice dark with anger.

"No, you told her to spend the day with Alice because she had seemed really upset last night and that the four of us were going to spend the day together. She just agreed," Peter reminded them.

"Shit," Remus groaned.

"So she's been here alone all day?" Alice asked, fear creeping into her voice for the first time.

"Got it!" Sirius said, laying the map down on the table.

Without any hesitation, Remus pressed the tip of his wand to the center and recited the phrase, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Alice's gasp of surprise went unnoticed as the four friends searched the map for Lily's dot. The Hospital Wing was the first place Remus checked, his heart pounding as he searched the small area for a dot labeled "Lily Evans", and only when he found the room empty did he breathe a sigh of relief. They checked McGonagall's office, the kitchens, any classrooms or hallways she might be in, every inch of the grounds, and came up with nothing.

"Could she be in the Room of Requirement?" Alice asked hesitantly.

"Possibly. We didn't know about it until Lily showed us, so it's not on the map," Remus told her, his eyes scanning the parchment once more and finding nothing.

"Well, then, let's go! Something must be wrong," Alice insisted, making for the portrait hole.

"Wait! There she is," Peter exclaimed, pointing to the second dot in Professor Dumbledore's office.

"Why is she with Dumbledore?" James asked, frowning at the map as if it might tell him the answer.

"You don't think… her parents?" Alice asked, her voice no more than a hushed whisper.

"No. If they'd been attacked, McGonagall would be with her, but it's just Dumbledore," Remus assured her, though his thoughts had gone the same route as hers.

"Should we go meet her or wait?" Sirius asked, fidgeting nervously.

"We wait. She has to come back at some point and we can talk to her then," Remus decided.

As much as he wanted to go storming to Dumbledore's office and demand to know what was wrong with Lily, he knew she wouldn't appreciate all of them crowding her. So, he resolved himself to wait it out by staring at her dot on the map. His heart rate sped up at the slightest movement of that solid black circle, but he remained calm on the outside.

He knew James and Sirius were struggling the same way he was. They all loved Lily and all three of them were fiercely protective of her. Sitting there waiting while she was in Dumbledore's office went against every instinct they had regarding their girl, but Remus knew Lily would appreciate their patience in the end.

He comforted himself by thinking of all the things that _couldn't_ be wrong. He figured her parents were safe, mainly because of McGonagall's absence, but he couldn't be 100% sure until she returned. However, he could be sure that she wasn't injured, at least not too badly, because she wasn't in the Hospital Wing. This also meant that her curse wasn't acting up as that would be the first place she was taken. There was still the possibility that she had been injured earlier in the day and was regaling the Headmaster with her account of an attack or occurrence, but Remus hoped that, had she been injured, she would have called one of them on her mirror. Since she hadn't, he felt fairly good about her general health.

All these aside meant he hadn't a clue what she could be discussing with the Headmaster and that uncertainty caused his anxiety to ramp up until, finally, Lily's dot began to leave Dumbledore's office.

"She's moving," Sirius said, leaning forward eagerly.

The five of them watched as Lily traveled the halls unencumbered. Her pace was more sedate than usual, making Remus rethink his theory about her being uninjured. Perhaps it was painful for her to walk and they were making her travel while hurt instead of going to meet her. Before he could roll the idea around in his brain for too long, Lily had begun climbing the stairs to the seventh floor.

Impatient, as always, Sirius leapt to his feet and ran to the portrait hole to meet her. Remus leaned back in his chair to watch Sirius watch Lily approach the portrait hole. The look on his face was of anxious eagerness, giving nothing away about Lily's state of being.

"Evans," Sirius said.

Remus heard Lily's started gasp and noted Sirius' face darken into a concerned frown. Before he could so much as push his chair back to go meet her, he heard Lily's footsteps speed towards the portrait hole. Seconds later, he watched as she launched herself into Sirius' arms, clutching him tightly and sobbing openly. Remus and James were on their feet in an instant, but remained where they were as Sirius navigated Lily through the portrait hole and into the Common Room. Once inside the safety of Gryffindor Tower, Sirius lifted Lily into his arms and carried her through the crowded room.

"Upstairs?" Sirius asked, pausing briefly beside Remus.

"Probably be best," Remus agreed softly.

Without further instruction, Sirius carried her up to the boy's dormitory, James following quickly behind. Remus put a hand on Alice's shoulder when she made to go after them.

"It would probably be better if you waited down here with Peter. We don't know what set her off and she may require some time to calm down before you see her," Remus said as delicately as possible.

"But-"

"I promise. One of us will come back down as soon as we've taken care of her," Remus assured her before turning to Peter. "Do you mind, Pete? If you'd rather, we can take her to the Room of Requirements."

"Nah. Don't worry 'bout it. Just do what you've got to do," Peter said, waving him off.

With a grateful nod, Remus turned and hurried up the stairs to the Gryffindor Sixth Year Boy's Dormitory. He opened the door to find Lily laid out on James' bed, James and Sirius on either side of her. The three were pressed tightly together and Remus got the impression that it was for Lily's benefit from the way she was clutching James' hand around her waist with one hand and Sirius' shirt in her other. Her legs were intertwined with theirs, one thrown over Sirius' waist while the other was bent at the knee and under James'. They couldn't have been closer together if they'd been magically bound.

Lily jumped as the door fell shut behind him, her green eyes wide as she focused on him.

"Easy, babe. It's Remus," James soothed her, running a hand down the length of her hair.

Wordlessly, she untangled her fingers from Sirius' shirt and reached out for him. He noticed her leg tightened around Sirius' waist, but didn't comment on it. It only took him three steps to make it to the end of James' bed, but it felt like he might as well have been crossing the English Channel. By the time he was close enough to take her hand, Lily had begun crying again. As soon as his fingers brushed hers, she grabbed him with a strength he hadn't know her to be capable of and pulled her on top of her, James, and Sirius.

It was an awkward position, to say the least. He was partially laying on Lily, partially laying on James, and partially laying on Sirius. If Lily's distress hadn't been so obvious, he might have protested the arrangement, but one look into her terrified eyes had him settling as comfortably as he could across the three people he cared about most.

* * *

Lily wasn't sure how long the four of them laid there, but she knew Remus, at least, had to be uncomfortable. None of them complained, though, so Lily drew comfort from their awkward embrace for as long as she could. Eventually she knew she needed to let go. Slowly, she began shifting, letting them know she was ready to move into a more comfortable position. Remus was the first to move, sliding to the end of the bed and facing her, James, and Sirius. Sirius and James both waited for her to situate herself before moving around her.

Leaning against James' headboard, she took Sirius' hand in hers, tracing his knuckles absentmindedly. Her feet were pressed against Remus' shins and James moved so that he could drape an arm over her shoulders, effectively pulling her into his side. Her body relaxed a little bit more with the three of them touching her and she was able to take a shaky breath before speaking.

"Sorry," she croaked between chapped lips.

"For what, sweetheart?" Remus asked, his hands covering her chilled toes.

Lily gave a humorless laugh before mumbling, "Everything."

She felt her three boys share a look over the top of her head, but didn't bother looking up to confirm her belief.

"What happened today, Evans? Why did you stay here by yourself? Why didn't you tell us Alice had other plans?" Sirius asked.

There was no accusation in his voice, but Lily felt shame well up inside her all the same. She struggled against more tears that wanted to escape, sniffling noisily as she did so.

"Alice went on a date with Frank. That was why she was so excited last night. She was nervous about what to do, whether Frank actually liked her, that sort of stuff. I didn't tell you guys because I knew you needed Marauder time. Peter's been feeling neglected and I don't want him to come to hate me or any of you. You're best friends and being with me shouldn't stop that. I didn't want you guys to feel like you had to stay with me or skip out on Peter. I was going to go to the library to find a good book when…" Lily trailed off miserably.

"What happened, Lily?" James asked, his voice softer than a feather blowing on the wind.

"Sev… Severus," Lily sobbed, unable to hold back her tears as the memory resurfaced.

The reaction in her boys was instantaneous. Sirius and James began cursing colorfully while Remus growled dangerously. They were torn between comforting her and going after Snape to teach the "oily git a lesson". Thankfully, their concern for her won out and the three of them set to easing her sobs with soothing touches and whispered words.

"Did he hurt you, Lily?" Remus asked intently.

Lily shook her head, knowing he was asking about her physical well-being, not how she was emotionally. She didn't think she would ever get over the pain Severus' admission had caused. It might scar one day, but the deep throbbing gash across her soul would never truly go away.

"What did he do, Evans?" Sirius demanded to know, his voice darker than she had ever heard it.

Lily tried to swallow her tears so she could speak, but more bubbled to the surface and she let out an anguished sob. It was frustrating, this inability to control her emotions, but the betrayal was so painful. Sure, she and Severus hadn't been friendly since last year, but she had never wished him ill. They had been best friends, after all, at one point in time.

Remus, James, and Sirius surrounded her once again, giving her the strength and encouragement to tell them what she had learned while they were on their way to Hogsmeade.

"It was h-him. Severus c-cursed me," Lily whispered brokenly.

"He told you this?" Remus asked fiercely.

Lily nodded, unable to speak through her tears.

"Did you tell Dumbledore? Is that why you were in his office?" James asked gently.

She nodded once more, wiping away her tears as she tried to gain control of herself.

"What did he say?" James pressed.

"Th-that he w-would talk to him, b-but it was h-his word against mi-mine. Th-there's n-no pro-of," Lily hiccupped.

They spent the next few minutes soothing her, trying to get her to calm down. It took a while, but eventually their soft touches and gentle words relaxed her enough that she was close to falling asleep. Remus pulled her legs down as Sirius lowered her head to the pillow. James ran his fingers through her hair, humming tonelessly.

"Sweetheart?" Remus murmured as she was slipping into dreamland.

"Hmm?" Lily hummed, not bothering to open her eyes.

"Did he say why?" Remus asked quietly.

"Mm-hm. He wanted me for himself," Lily sighed, the words coming easily from her place of dark warmth.

James' hand paused in her hair, but only for a brief second before he resumed the soothing strokes. She could hear their quiet words, but none of it made much sense as she succumbed to the darkness of a dreamless sleep.

* * *

As soon as Lily's breathing evened out, Sirius let out a vehement curse.

He couldn't believe fucking Snape had cursed Lily to use her as a sex toy. The thought made his blood boil and he found himself fighting against storming down to the Slytherin Common Room and blasting the slimy git to smithereens.

"That bastard," James hissed.

He hadn't stopped stroking Lily's hair, but the venom in his voice was enough to make Sirius check that James wasn't being too rough. Although his hands were shaking slightly, his touch was gentle as he continued to pet their girl. Sirius wondered if it was a conscious decision on James' part or if it just came naturally.

"What are we going to do about this?" Sirius asked, turning back to the issue at hand.

"I say we castrate him," James growled.

"No arguments here," Sirius grumbled.

"No," Remus said flatly.

"What do you mean 'no'? We're not going to let him get away with this," Sirius snapped.

"We're not going to touch Snape. If we attack him, he'll take it out on Lily. No, we have to be very careful about how we play this," Remus said quietly.

"Forget careful! I want that bastard to pay for what he's done to Lily," James insisted vehemently.

"There are other way to make a person pay than physical pain," Remus told them.

"What exactly are you planning?" Sirius asked.

"Well, Lily said Dumbledore needs proof. Let's get him some."


End file.
